Since 1978, Loggerhead turtles have been considered “Threatened” throughout their range. In 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service split loggerhead turtles into 9 separate populations for conservation efforts. Today, 5 of those populations were designated as “Endangered”, a status indicating the population is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significan portion of its range. All sea turtles are either endangered or threatened, the latter meaning that the species is declining and is likely to beome endangered in the foreseeable future.
Cape Verde’s loggerhead population is in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean DPS.
The population designations are as follows:
ESA Threatened– (ESA = Endangered Species Act)
(1) Northwest Atlantic Ocean DPS (DPS = Distinct Population Segment)
(2) South Atlantic Ocean DPS
(3) Southeast Indo-Pacific Ocean DPS
(4) Southwest Indian Ocean DPS
ESA Endangered–
(5) Northeast Atlantic Ocean DPS
(6) Mediterranean Sea DPS
(7) North Indian Ocean DPS
(8) North Pacific Ocean DPS
(9) South Pacific Ocean DPS