Across the Pacific, populations of some species of sea turtles face extinction unless recent dramatic declines are reversed. The continuing decline of leatherbacks and loggerheads in particular illustrates the limitations of the current gradual and unilateral approach to conservation. Recovery requires instead a holistic solution that addresses all sources of mortality throughout the entire life history and habitat use of these transnational populations. Historically conservation efforts have focused on nesting sites to protect eggs and breeding females; mortality from coastal and highseas fisheries was not addressed. In the past five years, these recovery efforts have widened to include rigorously curtailing fishing and technological fixes that lower rates of incidental sea turtle deaths during fishing. Although each of these approaches shows promise, it has become increasingly clear that they alone will not recover severely depleted populations. Recognizing the urgency of the problem, this book presents ideas and case studies by conservation biologists, economists, marine life policy experts, fishing industry and fisheries professionals, management specialists, and development assistance researchers. It provides a new synthesis and blueprint for action that shifts the paradigm from piecemeal and unilateral conservation to a more holistic and multilateral approach to the recovery of Pacific sea turtle populations.

The success of the first volume of The Biology of Sea Turtles revealed a need for broad but comprehensive reviews of major recent advances in sea turtle biology. Biology of Sea Turtles, Volume II emphasizes practical aspects of biology that relate to sea turtle management and to changes in marine and coastal ecosystems. These topics i

Since the first volume of The Biology of Sea Turtles was published in 1997, the field has grown and matured in ways few of the authors would have predicted—particularly in the areas of physiology, behavior, genetics, and health. Volume III presents timely coverage of emerging areas as well as the integration of approaches and information that did not exist even a decade ago. The book assembles the foremost experts in each topic to provide the most up-to-date and comprehensive book on sea turtles available today. New areas covered include in vivo imaging of structure, spatial distributions of marine turtles at sea, epibiosis, imprinting, parasitology, and climatic effects. Life history is explored in three chapters covering age determination, predator-prey interactions, and mortality from bycatch. The Biology of Sea Turtles, Volume III will inspire scientists and students to explore and expand their understanding of these intriguing animals. The book provides clear baseline summaries, thoughtful syntheses, and effective presentation of the most fundamental topics spanning form and function, health, distributions, behavior, genetics, evolution, and ecology. Its scope and depth make it the definitive go-to reference in the field.