Sea Turtles in Peril: U.S. Agency Launches In-Depth Probe Into Dredging Impacts

Sea turtles are among the most ancient and endangered animals on Earth. They face many threats from human activities, such as fishing, poaching, habitat loss, and climate change.

One of the lesser-known but potentially significant threats is dredging, which is the removal of sand and mud from harbors and shipping channels to maintain their depth and width.

Dredging can harm sea turtles by injuring or killing them with suction pumps, destroying their nesting habitats, altering their food sources, and dispersing pollutants.

A U.S. agency has agreed to conduct an in-depth environmental study to assess the impacts of dredging on sea turtles in Georgia.

The conflict between dredging and sea turtle conservation

(Photo : CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP via Getty Images)

The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for keeping shipping channels clear of accumulated sediments to ensure safe passage for ships, as per Phys.org.

The agency has a plan to end a policy that for three decades has prohibited the dredging of harbors in Georgia and the Carolinas during the nesting season for sea turtles.

In place since 1991, the seasonal limits are intended to protect sea turtles from being killed and maimed by the vacuum-like suction pumps of hopper dredges during the warmer months, when female turtles are most abundant near Southern beaches. Conservationists credit that policy with helping threatened and endangered turtle species begin a fragile rebound.

However, the Army Corps has argued that seasonal dredging limits are no longer necessary.

That's because the National Marine Fisheries Service concluded in 2020 that sea turtles protected by the Endangered Species Act can likely endure roughly 150 deaths anticipated annually from year-round dredging.

Army Corps officials have said seasonal restrictions make it difficult to compete for a limited number of contractors.

They also argue that dredging windows timed to protect sea turtles ignore species such as critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, which frequent the same waters during winter.

Environmentalists have challenged the agency's plan, saying that it ignores the best available science and puts sea turtles at risk.

They have filed lawsuits and petitions to stop or delay the plan. They have also demanded that the agency conduct a comprehensive environmental impact statement (EIS) to fully evaluate the effects of dredging on sea turtles and other wildlife.

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The agreement to conduct a deeper study

On Friday, May 5, 2023, the Army Corps announced that it would voluntarily conduct an EIS for its plan to allow year-round dredging in Georgia and the Carolinas, as per Fox 5 Atlanta.

The agency said that it is undertaking a fuller environmental study to "ensure robust public, agency, and stakeholder engagement" as well as a full evaluation of the impacts that this action may have to the human and natural environment.

The announcement came after a Georgia conservation group, One Hundred Miles, moved to dismiss its lawsuit against the Army Corps.

The group sued in December 2022, asking a U.S. District Court judge to order the Corps to produce an EIS. The group said that it was satisfied with the agency's decision to conduct the study.

"The Corps has now committed to what we've asked for, to go back and review the science," Catherine Ridley, a One Hundred Miles vice president, said Monday.

Spring and summer dredging puts Georgia's sea turtles and decades of conservation progress at risk.

The EIS process is expected to take several years and will involve public hearings, comments, and consultations with other agencies and stakeholders.

The Army Corps said that it will continue to follow its existing policy of limiting dredging during sea turtle nesting season until the EIS is completed.

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