SACRAMENTO—Today, Assemblymember Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) announced he will be introducing legislation to help protect the Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle by naming it California's Marine Reptile.
The leatherback sea turtle is the most majestic of all sea turtles and can grow up to nine feet long and weigh up to 2,000 pounds. Since the 1980’s, the Pacific leatherback sea turtles have declined more than 95 percent and are now on the critically endangered species list. In order to search for food sources to survive, these endangered animals migrate from their nests in Indonesia to the coast of California and often encounter obstacles such as nets and hooks, where they are tangled and drowned. With the leatherback sea turtle populations dwindling, we may be the generation responsible for the extinction of a creature that has existed for over 100 million years.
“Leatherback sea turtles are in danger of becoming extinct and we need stronger conservation efforts in order to protect these remarkable creatures,” said Assemblymember Fong. “In order to bring awareness to this issue, I will be introducing legislation that will name the Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle as California's State Marine Reptile.”
“Leatherbacks finally have a safe haven along our coast, but still face extinction due to growing threats from fisheries, pollution and ship strikes,” said Teri Shore, program director at SeaTurtles.org in West Marin, California.
Sponsored by the Turtle Island Restoration Network and supported by Oceana and the Center for Biological Diversity, this bill will educate the importance of the leatherback sea turtle to the marine ecosystem and recognize the need to protect these creatures for future generations.
Assemblymember Fong serves as Chair of the Elections and Redistricting Committee and is a member of the Higher Education, Utilities and Commerce, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committees. In addition, Assemblymember Fong serves as Chair of the Select Committees on High Technology and Climate Change and Coastal Protection and is a member of the Select Committees on Biotechnology, Career Technical Education and Workforce Development, Community Colleges, Government Efficiency, Technology and Innovation, Homelessness, Job Creation for the New Economy and Regional Strategies for the Green Economy. He represents Cupertino, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and San Jose.
CONTACT: Bryan C. Singh (916) 319-2022
