Loggerheads are highly migratory and particularly vulnerable to accidental capture in the nets and long-lines of the world's fisheries. Although Turtle Excluder Devices (TED), fitted into shrimp nets in some countries have lessened the threat, the use of these devices is not yet mandatory everywhere.

Longline bycatch mitigation trials are also being conducted in several places across the world, but will they be in time to halt the decline?

Loggerheads are widely distributed in coastal waters, mainly in subtropical and temperate regions and travel large distances following major warm currents like the Gulf Stream and California Current.

The loggerhead turtle is one of the largest cheloniid turtles, and carries more encrusting organisms such as barnacles on its carapace than other marine turtles species. This species is distinguished mainly by a large head and strong jaws.

Colour

The carapace (shell) is a reddish brown and the plastron (underbelly) is pale yellow.

Breeding

The age of sexual maturity has been estimated at between 10 and 30 years but studies in Australia indicate that it may be between 34 and 37 years.

Females nest an average of 3 to 5 times per season. Between 40 and 190 eggs are laid per clutch. Data from the USA suggests that nesting takes place about every 2 years.

Diet

Loggerheads are carnivorous eating bottom dwelling molluscs (conches, clams), crabs, urchins and sponges, as well as free swimming jellyfish and seemingly impenetrable prey such as the queen conch.

Current Population and Distribution

A recent estimate of the numbers of nesting female loggerheads is more than 60,000.

Masirah Island, Oman appears to support the largest single nesting population, with a minimum of 30,000 females estimated to nest annually in the 1980s. The second most important region is the southeast USA, where 5,000 to 15,000 females nest annually, mainly in Florida.

The main threats which affect marine turtles are:

• Habitat loss and degradation
• Wildlife trade
• Collection of eggs and meat for consumption
• Incidental capture (bycatch)
• Climate change
• Pollution

The main cause of mortality is attributed to fisheries bycatch, and abandoned drift nets continue to drown loggerheads in unknown numbers. In the Mediterranean and the USA, habitat loss or disturbance and pollution are the main threats to this species. In Florida for example, beach "armouring" to prevent erosion, increase in human beach activity, and beachfront lighting have all affected nesting turtles.

Before the introduction of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) approximately 50,000 loggerheads were killed in shrimp nets in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, perhaps ten times as much mortality as all other fisheries (seines, gill nets, traps, and longlines) combined. Although the requirement for TEDs has been legally challenged, it remains in force, and the lessons learned may develop into a model for certifying turtle-safe shrimp.

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