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Endangered and Threatened Sea Turtles

List of Turtle Species under NMFS' Jurisdiction

(E = "endangered"; T = "threatened"; F = "foreign"; n/a = not applicable*)

Marine Turtles (16 listed "species")

Recovery plans for marine turtles are developed and implemented by NMFS and USFWS; the plans have been written separately for turtles in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans (and East Pacific for the green turtle) rather than for each listed species.

SpeciesYear
Listed		StatusCritical
Habitat*		Recovery
Plan*

green turtle (2 listed populations**)
(Chelonia mydas)

  • Florida & Mexico's Pacific coast breeding colonies
1978Efinalfinal
1978Tfinalfinal

hawksbill turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricata)

1970Efinalfinal

Kemp's ridley turtle
(Lepidochelys kempii)

1970En/afinal

leatherback turtle
(Dermochelys coriacea)

1970Efinalfinal

loggerhead turtle (9 listed DPSs)
(Caretta caretta)
original listing - 1978

  nofinal
  • Mediterranean Sea
2011
E (F)
 n/a
n/a
  • North Indian Ocean
2011
E (F)
n/a
n/a
  • North Pacific Ocean
2011
E
no
  • Northeast Atlantic Ocean
2011
E (F)
 
n/a
n/a
  • Northwest Atlantic Ocean
2011
T
no
  • South Atlantic Ocean
2011
T (F)
n/a
n/a
  • South Pacific Ocean
2011
E (F)
n/a
n/a
  • Southeast Indo-Pacific Ocean
2011
T (F)
n/a
n/a
  • Southwest Indian Ocean
2011
T (F)
n/a
n/a

olive ridley turtle (2 listed populations**)
(Lepidochelys olivacea)

  • Mexico's Pacific coast breeding colonies
1978En/afinal
  • all other areas
1978Tn/afinal

* NOTE: Critical habitat and recovery plans are not required for foreign species; critical habitat is also not required for species listed prior to the 1978 ESA amendments that added critical habitat provisions.

** These populations were listed before the 1978 ESA amendments that restricted population listings to "distinct population segments of vertebrate species."

Endangered and Threatened Marine Species

Updated April 12, 2013