在美国东南部筑巢的红海龟数量创下了纪录
在美国东南部筑巢的红海龟数量创下了纪录
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，大量的红海龟会爬上岸，在大西洋沿岸的沙滩上筑巢。据美国国家海洋和大气管理局(NOAA)称，尽管它们在世界范围内主要分布在亚热带和温带海域，但它们是在美国大西洋沿岸水域(从北卡罗来纳州到佛罗里达州西南部)发现的数量最多的海龟物种。
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.
根据《濒危物种法》，所有红海龟种群都被列为濒危或受威胁物种，并在IUCN的濒危物种红色名单上被列为脆弱物种(数量在减少)。
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。据美联社报道，乔治亚州、南卡罗来纳和北卡罗来纳的海岸都出现了产卵热潮。野生动物研究人员将其归功于30多年前实施的联邦保护措施。
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，政府在以下几个方面保护了濒危海龟:
"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，海岸野生动物保护区提供了关键的筑巢栖息地，因为它们基本上没有海堤、沙滩灯和其他类型的开发，这些开发可以阻止或迷惑海龟。避难所的工作人员还把鸟蛋关在笼子里，以抵御浣熊和负鼠等食肉动物，并在可能被冲走的情况下重新安置巢穴。由于《濒危物种法》禁止捕杀或干扰濒危海龟，它们相对来说也不受人类捕猎者的伤害。”
'We're finally seeing it pay off'
“我们终于看到了回报”
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.
乔治亚州海龟恢复项目负责人、生物学家多德将海龟数量的回升归因于该州对海龟巢穴的监控和保护，以及一项要求捕虾船在渔网上安装逃生舱口的命令。
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.
据美联社报道，到2019年为止，乔治亚州海滩上已经有超过3500个红海龟巢穴被记录在案，超过了该州2016年3289个的记录。多德说，他预计到8月底，这个数字将达到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.
红海龟需要30年左右的时间才能长大，所以研究人员认为，那些几十年前受到保护的海龟现在正在返回巢穴。
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."
南卡罗莱纳自然资源部海龟项目负责人米歇尔·佩特在接受美联社采访时表示:“它们能够存活到成年，繁殖后代，然后再回来产卵。这是一个漫长的过程，但我认为我们终于看到了回报。”
