Loggerhead sea turtles captured the imagination of marine enthusiasts everywhere long before Crush made his big screen debut in Finding Nemo. They're among the oldest creatures on earth and have remained essentially unchanged for 110 million years. That's a pretty long time considering we boring 'anatomically modern' homo sapiens have only been wandering around for about 200,000 years. No contest. Loggerheads are endangered and the North Pacific population has been decimated by hunting, bycatch, and loss of nesting beaches. And yet, a chance to do something that might make a difference by giving them a shot at recovery...
Baja California hosts a longline shark fishery that incidentally kills hundreds of loggerheads every year. (Longlines are miles-long lengths of gear set on the ocean floor with baited hooks). When turtles move through the area to feed and rest, they often swallow the hooks or become entangled in gear. This means lots ...
