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Sea turtle bycatch is a worldwide problem. The term for this unintended capture is bycatch. Lifespan & ReproductionĪ primary threat to sea turtles is their unintended capture in fishing gear which can result in drowning or cause injuries that lead to death or debilitation (for example, swallowing hooks, or flipper entanglement). World map providing approximate representation of the green turtle's range.

Green turtles occur in many countries, making it critical to work together for their protection and recovery. Pacific, green turtles occur in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In the eastern North Pacific, green turtles have been sighted as far north as southern Alaska, but most commonly occur from southern California to northwestern Mexico. Important feeding areas in Florida include the Indian River Lagoon, the Florida Keys, Florida Bay, the Dry Tortugas, Homosassa, Crystal River, Cedar Key, and St. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters, green turtles are found in inshore and nearshore waters from Texas to Maine, the U.S. Green turtles are found worldwide primarily in subtropical and temperate regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and in the Mediterranean Sea. Prior to recruiting to nearshore foraging areas, pelagic juveniles forage on plant and animal life found in oceanic drift communities (such as pelagic Sargassum communities). The East Pacific green turtle tends to eat more animal prey than other populations. Their diet mainly consists of algae and seagrasses, though they may also forage on sponges, invertebrates, and discarded fish. Green turtles are the only herbivorous species of sea turtle. Adults migrate every 2 to 5 years from their coastal foraging areas to the waters off the nesting beaches where they originally hatched to reproduce. Juveniles eventually leave the open ocean habitat and travel to nearshore foraging grounds in shallow coastal habitats, where they mature to adulthood and spend the remainder of their lives. After emerging from the nest, hatchlings swim to offshore areas, where they live for several years in pelagic habitat.

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The life history of green turtles involves a series of stages of development from hatchling to adult. Green turtles migrate hundreds to thousands of kilometers each way between their foraging grounds and nesting beaches. Green turtles, like all sea turtles, are reptiles and must surface to breathe and lay their eggs on land. And we fund research, monitoring, and conservation projects to implement priorities outlined in recovery plans. We engage our partners as we develop measures and recovery plans that foster the conservation and recovery of green turtles and their habitats. We use a variety of innovative techniques to study, protect, and recover these threatened and endangered populations. NOAA Fisheries and our partners are dedicated to protecting and recovering green turtle populations worldwide. Bycatch in commercial and recreational fishing gear, vessel strikes, loss of nesting habitat from coastal development, and climate change are the biggest threats facing green turtles. However, in some areas, the killing of green turtles for their meat or to supply shells to the wildlife trafficking trade remains a threat to their recovery.

Many countries, including the United States, prohibit the killing of sea turtles and collection of their eggs. Historically, green turtles were exploited for their fat, meat and eggs, causing global population declines. They nest in over 80 countries and live in the coastal areas of more than 140 countries. Green turtles are found throughout the world. This diet is what gives their fat a greenish color (not their shells), which is where their name comes from. They are unique among sea turtles in that they are herbivores, eating mostly seagrasses and algae. The green sea turtle is the largest hard-shelled sea turtle.

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