By ERIKA I. RITCHIE The Orange County Register/TNS
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday, July 18, announced a proposal to designate “marine critical habitats” and “terrestrial critical habitats” throughout the Pacific and Atlantic oceans where the turtles are struggling. From San Diego Bay to Santa Monica Bay and around Catalina Island would be among the areas proposed for “marine critical habitats,” where the water out to 20 meters deep in the ocean would be included, but not the land along the coast.

The plans to expand the turtles’ habit protection could limit some federal projects such as dredging and other habitat disruptions in the nearshore waters. The area off Camp Pendleton from Oceanside to San Onofre would not be included.

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Some of the more significant habitats to be protected include eel grass and other plants critical to the turtles’ survival that are found at San Diego Bay and Mission Bay in San Diego County, Seal Beach, Anaheim Bay, the San Gabriel River, Long Beach and between Palos Verdes up to Santa Monica.

The proposed action follows a settlement agreement reached after three environmental groups, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sea Turtle Oversight Protection and the Turtle Island Restoration Network, filed a lawsuit in 2020 requesting greater protections for the endangered species.

The groups argued in their lawsuit that although the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries, which share jurisdiction over sea turtles, previously determined that climate change and threats from sea level rise meant the turtles still needed Endangered Species Act protection, the agencies had failed to protect the turtle’s habitats.

In addition to the protections in waters off Southern California, NOAA is also proposing the extension of critical habitats to include shorelines in Florida, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii, Guam and Texas. In all, NOAA officials said the areas proposed for protection include about 8,850 acres of beaches and nearly 428,000 square miles of coastal waters.

The land areas being set aside under the Endangered Species Act are not expected to affect private landowners “unless they implement an action involving federal funds, permits or other activities,” NOAA officials said. The expanded habitats wouldn’t be considered a natural refuge or preserve and the public would not be kept from enjoying the outdoors, officials said.

Once the areas are designated, federal agencies would have to consult with NOAA or the wildlife agency to ensure actions they fund, authorize or undertake would not destroy or adversely modify the critical habitats, NOAA officials said. Much of the proposed critical habitat for the green sea turtle overlaps with existing critical habitat for other species.