This gives scientists a chance to count and tag them. Current estimates put the worldwide female population at about 100,000. Since males don't come ashore at all, it's virtually impossible to estimate their numbers. With Multiple Threats Leatherbacks build their nests on remote stretches of sandy beach. Loss of these coastal nesting habitats is one of the primary threats to leatherback survival.
Fishing is another.
Leatherbacks get caught in commercial shrimp nets and suffocate. Turtle Excluder Devices, called TEDs, have been built into some nets that let captured animals escape, but shrimpers complain that TEDs cut down on their catch size. It has been estimated that 11,000 marine turtles are caught in nets every year. Many of them are leatherbacks. Leatherback eggs are harvested in Malaysia for food, and in some parts of Asia, the turtle is hunted for its oil and flesh.