NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service and the Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service today announced their decision not to identify the Northwest Atlantic population of the leatherback turtle as a distinct population segment and to list it as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
In making the 12-month finding, which responds to a petition filed by the Bluewater Fishermen’s Association, the agencies noted that even if all seven population segments that meet the criteria for recognition as distinct population segments were listed separately, all seven DPSs would meet the definition for endangered species, and that the species is already listed as endangered throughout its range.
