@turtlenews: Turtle Protection

@turtlenews Conservation Groups Sue For Sea Turtle Protection http://ow.ly/4DOEl

Conservation groups sue for sea turtle protection

Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer

http://www.sfgate.com/

(04-19) 17:05 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Conservation groups sued the Obama administration Tuesday over the fate of the endangered leatherback sea turtle, accusing federal officials of ignoring a legal deadline to protect a huge expanse of Pacific coastal waters as critical habitat for the reptiles.

The National Marine Fisheries Service settled an earlier lawsuit by proposing in January 2010 to designate 70,600 square miles of offshore waters, from Southern California to northern Washington, as a safety zone for the leatherbacks and the jellyfish they consume, the groups said in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.