Analysis of Atlantic Sea Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) Fishery Impacts on the North Atlantic Population of Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta)

摘要

An estimated 619 loggerhead turtles of various age and sex classes were taken annually during 1989-2005 in all components of the US Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) fishery. We provide here a quantitative assessment of the potential for these takes to jeopardize the continued existence of the US Atlantic Ocean population of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). A population viability analysis (PVA) was used to estimate quasi-extinction likelihoods under conditions with and without fishery effects. This PVA used US index nesting beach data for 1989-2005 to estimate the loggerhead population trend micro (mean growth rate) and variance omega(sup 2).