Marine Turtles and New Jersey

As a result of declines in the populations of several marine turtle species, the federal government listed the Kemp's ridley as endangered in 1970, the same year it also listed hawksbill and leatherback turtles as endangered.

In 1978, it listed loggerheads as threatened and green turtles as threatened and, in the case of the green turtle's Florida and Mexico breeding populations, as endangered.

In response, in 1979 the state of New Jersey classified the Atlantic hawksbill, loggerhead, ridley and leatherback turtles as endangered and listed the Atlantic green turtle as threatened.

Kemp's ridley turtle
Photo: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov

MARINE TURTLES and NJ
Atlantic loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta
Status: State: Endangered    Federal: Threatened

Atlantic leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea
Status: State: Endangered    Federal: Endangered

Kemp's ridley turtle, Lepidochelys kempi
Status: State: Endangered    Federal: Endangered

Atlantic green turtle, Chelonia mydas
Status: State: Threatened   Federal: Threatened/Florida and Mexico breeding populations endangered