Sea Turtle Conservation Assistance Act

Sea Turtle Conservation Assistance Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a comprehensive headstart program for endangered and threatened species of sea turtles found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic seaboard. Requires the focus of such program to be the release of sea turtles into the Gulf of Mexico and other locations, as necessary, for the conservation of such turtles.

Directs the Secretary to construct captive maintenance facilities, monitor the results of the headstart program, and expand and accelerate ongoing research on sea turtle ecology.

Limits the Federal share of such program to 75 percent of the total cost. Permits State, local governments, or private entities to contribute to the non-Federal share of such program.

Authorizes appropriations.

 
HR 3842 IH
101st CONGRESS
1st Session
 H. R. 3842
To establish a headstart program for threatened and endangered sea turtles
for release into the Gulf of Mexico, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 21, 1989
Mr. TAYLOR (for himself, Mr. TAUZIN, and Mr. ORTIZ) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries
A BILL
To establish a headstart program for threatened and endangered sea turtles
for release into the Gulf of Mexico, and for other purposes.
  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
  States of America in Congress assembled,
SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS
  SECTION 1. (a) SHORT TITLE- This Act may be cited as the `Sea Turtle
  Conservation Assistance Act'.
  (b) FINDINGS- The Congress finds and declares that--
  (1) the loggerhead, Kemp's Ridley, green, leatherback, and hawksbill sea
  turtles are listed as endangered or threatened species under the Endangered
  Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and are widely distributed
  along the eastern seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico;
  (2) the Federal Government is required under the Endangered Species Act to
  take steps to provide for the conservation and recovery of listed species,
  including endangered and threatened species of sea turtles;
  (3) endangered and threatened sea turtles face very high mortality from
  predators and other natural causes in the earliest months of their life
  cycle;
  (4) the National Marine Fisheries Service has developed a successful sea
  turtle hatchling headstart program whereby eggs are removed from the wild,
  hatched in captivity, and the young sea turtles are released months later
  into the wild after the greatest period of vulnerability to predation
  has passed;
  (5) the National Marine Fisheries Service's current headstart program
  is limited in scope and focuses on just one species of sea turtle, the
  endangered Kemp's Ridley;
  (6) other species of sea turtles could also benefit from the establishment
  of headstart programs similar to the one developed for the Kemp's Ridley
  sea turtle;
  (7) additional research efforts are needed to monitor the viability of sea
  turtles hatched and released through a headstart program and to develop
  reliable marking and tracking techniques for assessing the long-term rates
  of survival for sea turtles released from such programs;
  (8) additional research is also needed on determining the age of sea turtles
  and on monitoring their movements through the waters and estuaries of the
  Atlantic seaboard and gulf coasts; and
  (9) State fish and game agencies, as well as local governments and the
  private sector can provide invaluable expertise and financial assistance
  for an expanded sea turtle headstart program and their cooperation and
  participation in such a program is to be encouraged.
DEFINITIONS
  SEC. 2. For the purposes of this Act:
  (1) The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Commerce, through the
  National Marine Fisheries Service in consultation and cooperation with
  the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
  (2) The term `headstart program' for endangered and threatened sea turtles
  means the taking of turtle eggs from the wild, the hatching of such eggs in
  captivity, and the maintenance of those hatchlings in a captive condition
  for no longer than one year until their release back into their natural
  habitat in the wild.
  (3) `Endangered Species Act' means the Endangered Species Act of 1973
  (16 U.S.C. 1531, et seq.).
PURPOSE
  SEC. 3. The purposes of this Act are to establish a comprehensive headstart
  program for all endangered and threatened species of sea turtles found along
  the Atlantic seaboard and in the Gulf of Mexico and to improve sea turtle
  monitoring and tracking techniques in aid to the recovery of those species.
ESTABLISHMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE SEA TURTLE HEADSTART PROGRAM
  SEC. 4. (a) GENERAL AUTHORIZATION- The Secretary shall establish no later
  than January 1, 1991, a comprehensive headstart program for all endangered
  and threatened species of sea turtles found in the Gulf of Mexico and along
  the Atlantic seaboard. The focus of such a comprehensive program shall
  be on the release of headstart sea turtles into the Gulf of Mexico and
  such other locations as the Secretary determines to be necessary for the
  conservation of sea turtles. The implementation of such a program shall be
  consistent with this Act and the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.
  (b) CAPTIVE MAINTENANCE FACILITIES- The Secretary shall construct such
  captive maintenance facilities as may be necessary for the establishment
  of a comprehensive headstart program for sea turtles. The Secretary shall
  ensure that such facilities include sufficient professional scientific
  staffs so as to carry out the purposes of this Act and comply with the
  requirements of the Endangered Species Act.
MONITORING AND RESEARCH
  SEC. 5. (a) The Secretary shall closely monitor the results of the
  comprehensive headstart program established under section 4 of this Act to
  ensure its efficient and effective operation. As a part of such monitoring
  efforts, the Secretary shall develop new methods and means of tagging and
  tracking the movement of headstart sea turtles once they are released.
  (b) The Secretary, in carrying out a comprehensive headstart program,
  shall expand and accelerate ongoing research on sea turtle ecology to
  improve knowledge on--
  (1) the occurrence in, and movement of sea turtles along, nearshore waters
  and in estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic seaboard;
  (2) enhanced techniques for determining sea turtle age, population
  structures, recruitment, and survival;
  (3) methods for tracking sea turtle population trends and estimating
  overall abundance levels; and
  (4) the development of an enhanced, permanent tagging system that may be
  affixed to sea turtles without injury to the specimens.
FEDERAL CONTRIBUTION FOR COMPREHENSIVE SEA TURTLE HEADSTART PROGRAM AND
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
  SEC. 6. (a) The Federal contribution for any fiscal year for the
  comprehensive headstart program and research and monitoring activities
  authorized in sections 4 and 5 of this Act shall not exceed 75 per centum
  of the total costs incurred by the Secretary.
  (b) FORM OF NON-FEDERAL CONTRIBUTION- Any State, local government, or private
  entity may contribute to the non-Federal share of the comprehensive headstart
  program and research and monitoring activities as required in subsection
  (a). Such contributions may be in cash or in-kind, including but not limited
  to any non-Federal funds, real property, materials, or personnel services.
AUTHORIZATION
  SEC. 7. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Department of
  Commerce--
  (1) not to exceed $2,000,000 in each of fiscal years 1991 and 1992 for the
  purpose of constructing headstart facilities under section 4 of this Act; and
  (2) not to exceed $750,000 for each of fiscal years 1991, 1992, and 1993 for
  the purse of implementing the comprehensive sea turtle headstart program
  and research and monitoring activities authorized under sections 4 and 5
  of this Act.