page_title: Loggerhead sea turtle policies of the Barack Obama Administration (2009-2017)
section_title: North Pacific Ocean DPS
hierarchical_section_title: Loggerhead sea turtle policies of the Barack Obama Administration (2009-2017) / North Pacific Ocean DPS
caption_attribution_description: English: Fish and Wildlife Service worker on boat checking gill net full of fish
context_page_description: The loggerhead sea turtle, is protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It was originally listed as a threatened species on July 28, 1978. The loggerhead turtle is the most prolific species of sea turtle in U.S. coastal waters.
context_section_description: Off the coast of southern California NMFS, NOAA, and Department of Commerce prohibited fishing with large drift gillnet (DGN) gear in the loggerhead conservation area during the presence of El Niño conditions in order to protect the endangered North Pacific Ocean loggerhead DPS. This ruling effective July 23, 2014 was intended to prevent bycatch of loggerhead sea turtles. A team including sea turtle biologists and oceanographers determined the presence of El Niño conditions based on the “El Niño watch” issued by the Climate Prediction Center (CPC), anomalies found in sea surface temperature (SST) charts published by NOAA's Coast Watch Program, the presence of loggerhead sea turtles in the Pacific loggerhead conservation area, and reports of loggerhead strandings. The SST data showed higher than average temperatures during summer months off the coast of southern California. This same fisheries closure ruling due to El Niño conditions was again implemented May 29, 2015, and then again June 1, 2016.
caption: Fish and Wildlife service checking gillnet
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