The Pacific leatherback is one of NOAA Fisheries' Species in the Spotlight. This initiative is a concerted, agency-wide effort launched in 2015 to spotlight and se the most highly at-risk marine species.
ImagePacific leatherback sea turtles are genetically and biologically unique. They migrate extreme distances across the Pacific Ocean from nesting to foraging/feeding areas, and are generally larger in size than Atlantic leatherbacks. Pacific leatherback populations he plummeted in recent decades—Western Pacific leatherbacks he declined more than 80 percent and Eastern Pacific leatherbacks he declined by more than 97 percent. Extensive turtle and egg harvest and bycatch in fishing gear are the primary causes of these declines.
Leatherbacks are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The Pacific leatherback continues to decline. The dire status for Pacific leatherbacks make them a priority for recovery and conservation efforts within NOAA Fisheries and with our partners worldwide to stabilize and prevent extinction of this iconic species.
Where Pacific Leatherback Turtles Live Image Movement patterns for Western Pacific and Eastern Pacific leatherback sea turtle populations. Credit: Bailey et al. 2012, PLOS ONE, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0036401Pacific leatherbacks are split into two populations—Western Pacific and Eastern Pacific—based on range distribution and biological and genetic characteristics. Western Pacific leatherbacks nest in the Indo-Pacific region and migrate to the tropical waters of the Indonesian seas, the South China Sea, Malaysia, the Philippines, and throughout the temperate waters of the North Pacific, including areas of open ocean in the central North Pacific and coastal areas off the west coast of the United States, as well as to southeastern Australia and New Zealand. Eastern Pacific leatherbacks nest along the Pacific coast of Mexico and Costa Rica and migrate south to foraging grounds off South America.
Population StatusPacific leatherbacks are considered one of the most at-risk species because of the drastic decreasing trend since the 1980s. Western Pacific leatherbacks he declined more than 80 percent and Eastern Pacific leatherbacks he declined by more than 97 percent. More recent trend analyses, on the primary nesting beaches in both the East and West Pacific, continue to show declines.
Habitat Image Leatherback turtle nest with hatchings.Leatherbacks are pelagic (open ocean) animals, but they also feed in and migrate through coastal waters. Western Pacific leatherbacks engage in one of the greatest migrations of any air-breathing marine animal, swimming from tropical nesting beaches in the western Pacific (primarily Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands) to foraging grounds in the eastern North Pacific off the U.S. coast. The nearly 7,000-mile trans-Pacific journey through the exclusive economic zones of multiple Pacific nations and international waters requires 10 to 12 months to complete. In 2012, critical habitat was designated off of the U.S. West Coast (California, Oregon, and Washington), because these areas are key foraging sites for the Western Pacific leatherback.
Adult females require sandy nesting beaches in warm, tropical climates for egg laying. Eastern Pacific leatherbacks nest along the Pacific coast of the Americas, primarily in Mexico and Costa Rica. Western Pacific leatherbacks demonstrate a bimodal pattern of seasonal nesting during the winter and summer months in the west Pacific, primarily in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.
Threats Image Leatherback turtles nest several times during a nesting season, typically at 8- to 12-day intervals and lay 85–95 tennis ball size eggs.Like other sea turtle species, leatherbacks face significant threats from bycatch in fisheries (e.g., entanglement and/or hooking), illegal collection of eggs and killing of adult turtles, coastal development, pollution, marine debris, and climate change.
Leatherbacks are particularly vulnerable to bycatch in fishing gear. Gear modification and best practices he been implemented in many fisheries that he reduced incidental bycatch of leatherbacks, but globally, impacts from artisanal and industrial fishing operations he not been resolved. Today, bycatch remains the most significant threat to Pacific leatherbacks throughout their migratory corridors and foraging/feeding areas.
Species RecoveryU.S. Conservation and ManagementThe United States has taken significant steps to protect leatherbacks in our waters. In the Pacific, a leatherback conservation area was established off the coast of California in 2001 that prohibits drift gillnet fishing from August 15 to November 15 in 213,000 square miles of the Exclusive Economic Zone. In 2009, the Marianas Trench, Rose Atoll, and Pacific Remote Islands marine national monuments were established, prohibiting commercial and recreational fisheries, thus providing important protected areas for sea turtles in this region. And similar to Atlantic fisheries, Hawaii-based longline fisheries he been regulated to reduce leatherback interactions.
Additionally, vessel owners and captains participating in the Hawaii-based longline fishery and the California drift gillnet fishery must attend Protected Species Workshops annually where they receive new and updated information on sea turtles in the Pacific Ocean and new, relevant fisheries regulations, as well as training on safe handling and release procedures including the resuscitation of sea turtles. Longline fishermen are also required to carry and use dip nets, line cutters, and de-hookers to release any incidentally-caught sea turtles.
International EffortsWhile significant conservation activities continue in the United States, the highly migratory nature of Pacific leatherbacks necessitates regular cooperation with international partners to address the main threats.
Image Screening a nest to protect from predators in Papua New Guinea.International collaboration includes participation in several multilateral and regional treaties that he resulted in measures to conserve leatherback populations. Some of the accomplishments under these agreements include the development of the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles East Pacific Leatherback Task Force, which has identified measures to reduce mortality of Eastern Pacific leatherbacks in marine habitats and protect nesting sites and nesting females to increase reproductive productivity.
The United States also maintains a leadership role within several Regional Fishery Management Organizations, proposing and/or supporting resolutions to protect sea turtles including binding measures to reduce fisheries interactions.
In addition to regional and multilateral agreements, NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service support bilateral projects (through grants and in-kind support) to recover Pacific leatherbacks throughout their range. For example, in Papua Barat, Indonesia—a significant nesting area for Western Pacific leatherbacks—NOAA Fisheries and U.S. FWS he collaborated with local institutions, like The State University of Papua (UNIPA), for more than a decade to reduce poaching on nesting beaches, establish regular nesting surveys, improve community engagement in the protection of the nesting beaches, and ensure that protection continues into the future. UNIPA’s work has been instrumental in building local support for conserving and recovering Pacific leatherbacks. As a result, NOAA Fisheries named Dr. Fitry Pakiding from UNIPA, a Species in the Spotlight hero. NOAA Fisheries and U.S. FWS also work bilaterally with several countries to reduce leatherback bycatch in coastal waters, particularly in the Pacific.
Species in the Spotlight Priority ActionsAs part of our Species in the Spotlight initiative, NOAA Fisheries developed a 2021–2025 Priority Action Plan for the Pacific leatherback, which builds on the 2016–2020 Priority Action Plan and details the key conservation efforts that are needed to recover this critically endangered species. Without focused efforts in the Pacific, leatherbacks may not recover and may become eliminated from the entire ocean basin.
Image Leatherback turtle hatchling crawling to the ocean in West Papua, Indonesia.Together with U.S. FWS, we identified the following priority actions for 2021–2025.
Reduce fisheries bycatch and in-water harvestImprove protection on nesting beachesSupport in-water research and monitoring to inform conservation actionsFoster cooperation with international partnersEncourage public engagementIn our first five years of the Species in the Spotlight initiative, we he:
Helped in efforts to reduce leatherback bycatch in coastal fisheries of five countries (Mexico, Peru, Chile, Philippines, and Indonesia)Protected key nesting beaches and foraging areas in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and CaliforniaReduced bycatch in U.S. pelagic longline fisheriesStrengthened cooperation with Indonesia and MexicoCelebrated California's annual Pacific Leatherback Day and offered outreach and educations program2017 Species in the Spotlight Hero Award Image A village in Wau-Weyaf West Papua, Indonesia, after attending a leatherback turtle outreach program. Credit: Kartika Zohar.The State University of Papua (UNIPA) has been actively engaged in recovering the largest remaining leatherback nesting population in the Western Pacific for more than 10 years. UNIPA has worked at "ground zero" for leatherback conservation in the Western Pacific. They established a science-based management plan that minimizes sea turtle nest failure and enhances hatchling production.
Learn more about UNIPA's work
2019 Partner in the Spotlight Award Image
Over the last decade, the Eastern Pacific Leatherback Network, or Red Laúd del Océano Pacífico Oriental ("Laúd OPO") in Spanish, has brought together scientists and conservation practitioners across the Eastern Pacific to compile and synthesize key nesting and fisheries bycatch data to help protect and recover Pacific leatherback sea turtles. The Laúd OPO network initiated a regional bycatch assessment. Based on this information, Laúd OPO has identified the most critical conservation actions to be taken by local and national governments.
Learn more about Laúd OPO's work
2021 Partner in the Spotlight Award Image Tetepare Descendants’ Association rangers in the Solomon Islands measuring a leatherback turtle following egg disposition. Credit: Cameron MasakoloOver the last 15 years, Tetepare Descendants’ Association (TDA) has been instrumental in efforts to recover leatherbacks on Tetepare Beach and Rendova Beach in the Solomon Islands, which are key nesting beaches. TDA Rangers carry out overnight foot patrols, tag and measure nesting females, and protect nests from predators and poachers. They hold training workshops, engage the community, and encourage participation in the leatherback monitoring program. TDA works tirelessly to protect Pacific leatherbacks and continues to persist with unwering determination.
Learn more about TDA’s work
2023 Partner in the Spotlight Award ImageAndreas Hero Ohoiulun, World Wildlife Fund Indonesia, has demonstrated leadership, persistence, and a collaborative approach with local communities, which has achieved extraordinary conservation gains for Western Pacific leatherbacks in the Maluku Province in Indonesia. Hero’s efforts to establish a harvest monitoring and mitigation program reduced the traditional harvest of leatherbacks by 86 percent in the Kei Islands. On Buru Island, poaching of nests was reduced to less than 1 percent, and harvest of nesting females was eliminated completely. Hero also helped establish the Kei Island Marine Protected Area, and initiated steps towards creating an MPA to conserve nesting leatherbacks on Buru Island.
Learn more about Hero’s work