Leatherback Sea Turtle Bycatch in U.S. West Coast Groundfish Fisheries 2002-2019

The 2012 BiOp by NMFS determined that the components of the groundfish fishery were likely to adversely affect leatherback sea turtles. With respect to leatherback turtles interacting with US West Coast groundfish fisheries, the BiOp identified a set of nondiscretionary terms and conditions as necessary to implement the RPMs identified in the BiOp. These terms and conditions relate to two main areas: a) management planning and take reporting; and b) take monitoring. The BiOp identified the take limit of leatherback turtles to be 0.38 turtles/year over a 5-year average not exceeding 1 turtle/yr.