you are all wrong. kenny chesney is a turtle without a shell on
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did someone mention turtle??Comment -
disgusting!Comment -
Jesus Christ.....you're a stupid fuk....no wonder why you never finished your first year of college.Comment -
Sea Turtles Rescued from Longliners
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At A Glance
Green sea turtles are one of the largest sea turtles, reaching 3 feet and 350 pounds.
The loggerhead sea turtle has experienced a dramatic 40% decline in nesting populations during the last decade.
Longline fish hooks often catch sea turtles, in particular the loggerhead. Injuries from these hooks affect a turtle's ability to feed, swim, avoid predators and reproduce.
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Seven species of sea turtles swim the seven seas, as they have for more than 100 million years. With their paddle-shaped flippers and hydrodynamic bodies, they are capable of crossing oceans, coming ashore only to build nests.
But over just a few short decades, these ancient and resilient creatures have succumbed to human activity and their numbers are plunging.
In Florida, the loggerhead sea turtle, a slow swimmer with long flippers and special glands that let it drink salt water, has experienced a dramatic 40 percent decline in nesting populations during the last decade.
Also found off the shallow waters of west Florida are the smallest and one of the largest sea turtles: the Kemp's ridley, growing to just two feet and 90 pounds, and the green sea turtle, a distinct species with individual facial markings that reaches 3 feet and 350 pounds.
Each of these species is either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. One of the primary threats to these vulnerable creatures is commercial fishing.
In 2009, Earthjustice sued the National Marine Fisheries Service on behalf of conservation organizations to force it to fulfill its legal duty to protect sea turtles in a bottom longline fishery in the Gulf of Mexico.
Bottom longline fishing uses hundreds or even thousands of baited hooks along miles of lines laid behind fishing vessels and stretching down to the reef and Gulf floor. The hooks target species like grouper, tilefish and sharks, but often catch other fish or wildlife, including imperiled sea turtles, in particular the loggerhead.
Injuries from these hooks affect a turtle's ability to feed, swim, avoid predators and reproduce. Often, the turtles drown or, unable to recover from the extreme physiological stress, die soon after being released from the longlines.
The National Marine Fisheries Service discovered that the bottom longline fishery was severely harming sea turtle populations in the Gulf of Mexico, by capturing more than eight times the number of hard shell turtles in violation of the Endangered Species Act.
The fishery's impact, in concert with the rapid decline in loggerhead nesting in recent years, has brought a dangerous risk to the survival of this vital species in the wild. In addition, according to the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, there are only about 2,500 nesting female Kemp's ridleys left in the world -- compared to 40,000 Kemp's ridleys females seen nesting in just one day on a single beach 50 years ago.
But here's the good news:
On May 1, 2009, the National Marine Fisheries Service responded to the Earthjustice lawsuit and the call of fellow conservationists and ordered a 6-month emergency closure of the fishery. It has promised to accept public comment as it moves forward, which is also vital to help ensure that the public gets information about where the grouper and other fish in America's restaurants have come from -- and to know that no sea turtles were harmed to bring fish to a diner's plate.
During the fishery closure, the National Marine Fisheries Service will now determine whether and how the fishery can operate while ensuring the survival of sea turtles in the long term, as required by the Endangered Species Act.
The fishery closure is the first step to end the unnecessary killing and injury of sea turtles in the Gulf, but it is a victory for the rule of law, including environmental conservation.
Earthjustice will continue working with our allies, including the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Florida Wildlife Federation, Gulf Restoration Network, Sea Turtle Restoration Project, Caribbean Conservation Corporation, to protect these rare and sensitive species and ensure that the National Marine Fisheries Service continues to fulfill its duties under federal law.Comment -
still gross
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i like applesComment -
Turtle dick anyone?
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