Editing Sea turtle (section)

==== Bycatch ====
[[File:logger ted 01.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A loggerhead sea turtle escapes a circular fisherman's net via a TED.|A loggerhead sea turtle exits from a [[fishing net]] through a [[turtle excluder device]] (TED)]]One of the most significant and contemporary threats to sea turtles comes from [[bycatch]] due to imprecise fishing methods. [[Long-lining]] has been identified as a major cause of accidental sea turtle deaths.<ref name="RoyalGazette">{{cite news | last =Moniz | first =Jesse | title =Turtle conservation: It's now very much a political issue | work =News | publisher =The Royal Gazette Ltd. | date =3 February 2007 | url =http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?sectionId=80&articleId=7d5908e3003001d }}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="NationalGeographic">{{cite news | last=Scales|first = Helen | title =Glow Sticks May Lure Sea Turtles to Death | work =News | publisher =National Geographic News | date =27 April 2007 | url =http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/070427-glow-sticks.html | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070430043452/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/070427-glow-sticks.html | url-status =dead | archive-date =April 30, 2007 }}</ref> There is also a black-market demand for tortoiseshell for both decoration and supposed health benefits.<ref name="Japan">{{cite web |author=NYSDEC | title =Atlantic Hawksbill Sea Turtle Fact Sheet | publisher =Endangered Species Unit | url =http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/wildlife/endspec/athafs.html | access-date = 7 February 2007}}</ref>

Sea turtles must surface to breathe. Caught in a fisherman's net, they are unable to surface and thus drown. In early 2007, almost a thousand sea turtles were killed inadvertently in the [[Bay of Bengal]] over the course of a few months after netting.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Fishermen blamed for turtle deaths in Bay of Bengal |work=Science News |publisher=Reuters |date=5 February 2007 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-turtles-idUSDEL1456220070205 |access-date=15 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115114552/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-turtles-idUSDEL1456220070205 |archive-date=15 November 2016}}</ref>

However, some relatively inexpensive changes to fishing techniques, such as slightly larger hooks and traps from which sea turtles can escape, can dramatically cut the mortality rate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.seaturtle.org/mtn/archives/mtn113/mtn113p13.shtml|title=MTN 113:13-14 Longline Fishery Panel Discussion at the 26th Annual Sea Turtle Symposium: Cooperative Approaches to Implement Sea Turtle Bycatch Solutions in Longline Fisheries|website=www.seaturtle.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=O'Kelly-Lynch | first=Ruth | title=Govt: Long-line fishing won't hurt birds | url=http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?sectionId=60&articleId=7d72411300300c5 }}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Turtle excluder device]]s (TEDs) have reduced sea turtle bycatch in shrimp nets by 97 percent.
[[File:Sea turtle nest sign (Boca raton, FL).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Legal notice posted by a sea turtle nest at [[Boca Raton]], [[Florida]]]]