Leatherback sea turtle – State Wildlife Action Plan

The leatherback sea turtle is the largest turtle in the world. They are the only species of sea turtle that lack scales and a hard shell. They are named for their tough, rubbery skin and have existed in their current form since the age of the dinosaurs. Leatherbacks are highly migratory, some swimming over 10,000 miles a year between nesting and foraging grounds. They are also accomplished divers with the deepest recorded dive reaching nearly 4,000 feet — deeper than most marine mammals. The leatherback turtle has the widest global distribution of any reptile, with nesting mainly on tropical or subtropical beaches. Once prevalent in every ocean except the Arctic and Antarctic, the leatherback population is rapidly declining in many parts of the world. They face threats on both nesting beaches and in the marine environment. The greatest of these threats worldwide are incidental capture in fishing gear (bycatch), hunting of turtles, and collection of eggs for human consumption. The Pacific leatherback turtle populations are most at risk of extinction.

Overview

Species Common Name Leatherback sea turtle
Species Scientific Name Dermochelys coriacea
Federal Listing Status Endangered
State Listing Status Endangered

Ecoregions

Nearshore

The Nearshore ecoregion includes a variety of habitats ranging from submerged high-relief rocky reefs to broad expanses of intertidal mudflats in estuaries and hosts a vast array of fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, birds, plants, and micro-organisms. This ecoregion encompasses the area from the outer boundary of Oregon's Territorial Sea to the supra-tidal zone, and up into the estuaries.

Special needs

Given its primary diet of jellies, access to prey is needed to meet energy demands for the leatherback sea turtle. Prey availability is a component in the designation of critical habitat, which includes Oregon nearshore waters.

Limiting factors

Significant threats to leatherback sea turtle are from bycatch in fisheries (entanglement and/or hooking), direct harvest of both eggs and turtles, coastal development, and the effects of climate change (habitat loss due to sea level rise, alteration of hatchling sex ratios, and decreased nest success). Additional threats include vessel strikes, ingestion of plastics, and entanglement in marine debris, including lost or discarded fishing gear. Oil spills and other forms of chemical pollution are also threats to this species and its prey.

Data gaps

•Sightings data in Oregon waters is generally lacking.

Conservation actions

• Reduce fisheries bycatch.
• Reduce oil and chemical pollution.
• Support in-water research and monitoring to inform conservation actions.
• Foster cooperation with partners at all levels.
• Maintain and enhance habitat.
• Encourage public engagement.
• Expand ecosystem-based fisheries management to understand environmental drivers that can be used to predict hot spots that can be used to reduce and minimize bycatch.

Key reference or plan

Pacific Leatherback Turtle Species Spotlight. Read here