在美國東南部筑巢的紅海龜數量創(chuàng)下了紀錄

在美國東南部筑巢的紅海龜數量創(chuàng)下了紀錄

Massive loggerhead sea turtles lumber ashore each summer to dig nests in the sand along the Atlantic Coast. Although they're found worldwide mostly in subtropical and temperate ocean waters, they're the most abundant sea turtle species found in U.S. coastal waters of the Atlantic, from North Carolina through southwest Florida, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

每年夏天，大量的紅海龜會爬上岸，在大西洋沿岸的沙灘上筑巢。據美國國家海洋和大氣管理局(NOAA)稱，盡管它們在世界范圍內主要分布在亞熱帶和溫帶海域，但它們是在美國大西洋沿岸水域(從北卡羅來納州到佛羅里達州西南部)發(fā)現的數量最多的海龜物種。

All loggerhead turtle populations are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act and classified as vulnerable (with their numbers decreasing) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

根據《瀕危物種法》，所有紅海龜種群都被列為瀕?；蚴芡{物種，并在IUCN的瀕危物種紅色名單上被列為脆弱物種(數量在減少)。

But there's some good news this summer. There's an egg-laying boom along the coast in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, reports The Associated Press. Wildlife researchers credit the comeback to federal protections that were put in place more than 30 years ago.

但今年夏天有一些好消息。據美聯社報道，喬治亞州、南卡羅來納和北卡羅來納的海岸都出現了產卵熱潮。野生動物研究人員將其歸功于30多年前實施的聯邦保護措施。

Photo: Bureau of Land Management/Flickr

As MNN's Russell McLendon points out, the government protects endangered sea turtles in several ways:

正如MNN的Russell McLendon所指出的，政府在以下幾個方面保護了瀕危海龜:

"Coastal wildlife refuges provide key nesting habitat, for example, since they're largely free of sea walls, beach lights and other types of development that can deter or disorient turtles. Refuge workers also cage eggs against predators like raccoons and opossums, and relocate nests at risk of washing away. And since the Endangered Species Act forbids killing or disturbing endangered turtles, they're also relatively safe from human hunters."

“例如，海岸野生動物保護區(qū)提供了關鍵的筑巢棲息地，因為它們基本上沒有海堤、沙灘燈和其他類型的開發(fā)，這些開發(fā)可以阻止或迷惑海龜。避難所的工作人員還把鳥蛋關在籠子里，以抵御浣熊和負鼠等食肉動物，并在可能被沖走的情況下重新安置巢穴。由于《瀕危物種法》禁止捕殺或干擾瀕危海龜，它們相對來說也不受人類捕獵者的傷害。”

'We're finally seeing it pay off'

“我們終于看到了回報”

Biologist Mark Dodd, who heads Georgia's sea turtle recovery program, attributes the nesting rebound to that state monitoring and protecting nests and a mandate requiring shrimp boats to equip their nets with escape hatches.

喬治亞州海龜恢復項目負責人、生物學家多德將海龜數量的回升歸因于該州對海龜巢穴的監(jiān)控和保護，以及一項要求捕蝦船在漁網上安裝逃生艙口的命令。

So far in 2019, more than 3,500 loggerhead nests have been recorded on beaches in Georgia — more than the state's 2016 recordof 3,289, according to the AP. Dodd says he expects the count to reach 4,000 by the end of August.

據美聯社報道，到2019年為止，喬治亞州海灘上已經有超過3500個紅海龜巢穴被記錄在案，超過了該州2016年3289個的記錄。多德說，他預計到8月底，這個數字將達到4000。

It takes about 30 years or so for loggerheads to reach maturity, so researchers believe those turtles who were protected decades ago are now coming back to nest.

紅海龜需要30年左右的時間才能長大，所以研究人員認為，那些幾十年前受到保護的海龜現在正在返回巢穴。

Protections put in place 30 years ago appear to be helping loggerheads. (Photo: Vladimir Wrangel/Shutterstock)

"They’ve been able to survive to maturity and reproduce and come back to lay eggs," Michelle Pate, who leads the sea turtle program for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, told the AP. "It's been a long haul, but I think we're finally seeing it pay off."

南卡羅萊納自然資源部海龜項目負責人米歇爾·佩特在接受美聯社采訪時表示:“它們能夠存活到成年，繁殖后代，然后再回來產卵。這是一個漫長的過程，但我認為我們終于看到了回報。”