Recovery Plan for the Northwest Atlantic Population of the Loggerhead Sea

• Main Authors: National Marine, Fisheries Service
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Northwest Atlantic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.369.666; http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/SeaTurtles/2008_Recovery_Plan/20081231_Final NW Loggerhead Recovery Plan_signed.pdf

policies and procedures for identifying, listing, and protecting species of wildlife that are endangered or threatened with extinction. The purposes of the ESA are “to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved, [and] to provide a program for the conservation of such endangered species and threatened species. ” The ESA defines an “endangered species ” as “any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. ” A “threatened species” is defined as “any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” The Secretaries of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce are responsible for administering the ESA’s provisions as they apply to the loggerhead turtle. Dayto-day management authority for endangered and threatened species under the Departments’ jurisdictions has been delegated to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), respectively. FWS and NMFS (collectively referred to as the Services) share Federal jurisdiction for sea turtles, with FWS having lead responsibility on nesting beaches and NMFS having lead responsibility in the marine environment.