The leatherback turtle — at 1,200 pounds, the world’s heaviest reptile — is in such severe decline that it could become extinct in the Pacific Ocean within a few decades, according to Oceana, an environmental group seeking emergency protections for it and the other five species of sea turtle.
Of particular concern is the plight of the leatherback, which grows to a length of 5 feet and migrates about 6,000 miles each year from nesting beaches in Papua New Guinea and other Pacific islands to the coastal waters of California and Oregon to feed on jellyfish.
"We are pushing Congress to enact comprehensive sea turtle legislation as soon as possible," said Elizabeth Griffin, Oceana’s marine wildlife scientist and fisheries campaign manager. "One big problem is residential and commercial development of its nesting beaches. Another is that leatherbacks are getting caught in commercial fishing gear: nets, hooks and fishing line."