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A conservation group is objecting to the sale of items made from endangered species, a practice that is already illegal, but still taking place on eBay. But poachers and collectors have been using the Internet to sell souvenirs made from the turtles. A Florida conservation group, Caribbean Conservation Corporation says it was outraged to find more than 50 sea turtle products for sale on eBay. The US Fish and Wildlife Service says it is satisfied with the progress eBay is making in educating its customers on the issue. Source: CNN, January 18, 2000

Hundreds of endangered turtles have died on east India beaches ….wildlife authorities said they were concerned extensive trawler fishing near the Digha coast could kill more turtles in the Bay of Bengal. Environmental groups in Calcutta said olive ridley turtles, protected under India’s Wildlife Protection Act, faced extinction in the next few decades because of trawler fishing. However, government officials said they were optimistic about their survival. Source: ENN - World Wire, February 18, 2000.

Sea turtle activists donning sea turtle costumes and rallying with a giant inflatable sea turtle took to the steps of the Texas State Capitol in Austin today. They are calling on Governor George W. Bush, a Republican presidential candidate, to create a Kemp’s ridley Marine Reserve to protect endangered sea turtles in Texas. The activists will also mourn the deaths of 450 sea turtles along the Texas coast in 1999, 96 of which were Kemp’s ridleys. Bush authorized state game wardens to enforce sea turtle protections, but the activists say that action was “too little, too late.” More sea turtles died last year in Texas than the 396 found dead in 1998, including record numbers of loggerheads and higher than average numbers of leatherbacks. Source: Environmental News Service, January 7, 2000.

Visitors to the EU sponsored SchoolNet website will find EuroTurtle listed as one of six environmental educational websites chosen as best in Europe: <http://www.exeter.ac.uk/telematics/EuroTurtle>. EuroTurtle - a Mediterranean sea turtle Biology & Conservation web site for Science and Education is based at the University of Exeter, UK, is a result of collaboration between the University, the Biology Department of Kingís College, Taunton and MEDASSET (The Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles). Set up in January 1997, the site is believed to be the first in Europe to be exclusively devoted to the conservation and biology of Mediterranean sea turtles. Source: Press Release, MEDASSET.

A record number of leatherback sea turtles nested on the Treasure Coast last year, but turtle experts warn not to make too much of the rising numbers. One hundred and forty-three leatherback nests were spotted in Martin County last spring and early summer, up from the previous record of 107 nests in 1998. In St. Lucie County, 60 leatherback nests were counted by turtle monitors in 1999, up from 41 in 1998. Source: Naples Daily News, February 6, 2000.

Conservation groups celebrated a major victory when the Mexican government cancelled plans to build the world’s largest salt factory. The saltworks would have been built at Laguna San Ignacio, part of Mexico’s largest wildlife sanctuary. Source: Environmental News Network, March 3, 2000

More than 30 endangered and threatened sea turtles have washed up dead or dying along the Texas coast in the past two weeks. The international conservation group Sea Turtle Restoration Project (STRP) says the deaths demonstrate the continued failure of Texas Governor George W. Bush, Republican candidate for President, to protect endangered species in his home state. One sea turtle was found with a hole drilled in its shell and green shrimp fishing net passed through the hole and tied in a knot. Another was found with its hind flippers missing and a rope tied around its front flipper. Many others were found missing flippers and heads, which STRP says indicates intentional violation of the Endangered Species Act. Five of the 30 stranded sea turtles were adult Kemp’s ridleys - the most endangered sea turtle in the world. Source: Environmental News Service, March 7, 2000

US Animal rescuers rushed to keep up with a rising toll of dead manatees and sea turtles washing ashore in Collier County. A toxic algae bloom commonly called red tide is a possible culprit in at least some of the deaths of eight manatees found since January 4. It’s also suspected as the cause of death of 15 sea turtles found since Feb. 29, most of them around Marco Island, Goodland and the Ten Thousand Islands. Source: Naples Daily News, March 7, 2000

The United States is close to agreement with five Asian countries on helping them to avoid killing endangered sea turtles while shrimp fishing… say…diplomats, speaking before….the World Trade Organization’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB). Source: ENN - World Wire News, January 18, 2000.

“Beaky”, a highly endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, recently arrived at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, for some rest and rehabilitation. The turtle was found stranded on the shores of Wales, UK. Source: ENN - News Bytes, December 14, 1999.

In an effort to protect sea turtles during their peak mating and nesting season, Texas Parks and Wildlife law enforcement personnel are offering a reward of up to US$2,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone who illegally takes, possesses or mutilates a sea turtle of any species. The US Geological Survey at Padre Island National Seashore recently reported 17 sea turtle strandings on the Texas coast. One loggerhead sea turtle was found stranded with a hole in the rear of the carapace and what appeared to be a piece of fishing net attached to it. One green turtle was found stranded missing both rear flippers and with a rope tied around the front flippers. Both have been sent to the National Marine Fisheries Service for forensic investigation.

As part of a broader review of commercial shrimping regulations this year, the department is considering possible changes that could improve shrimp management as well as protect sea turtles, including possible time and area closures. The department has been soliciting public input on these issues for more than a year and will present its shrimp management proposals to the commission for consideration at its May 31-June 1 meetings.

Toll-free hotline, (800) 792-GAME, is open 24 hours a day for callers to anonymously report sea turtle violations or any other fish and game violations. Source: The Daily News, Galveston. 6 March 2000.

Olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) arrived in large number for mass nesting in Nasi-I & Babubali Island of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary between 13th March and 22nd March 2000. Source: B.C.Prusty, IFS, Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) & Ex-Officio Director, Nandankanan Zoological Park, Bhubaneswar, Orissa-751 007, India.