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Technology and Sea Turtles

Sunset over a fishing net.
(John Wang, Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research)

Sea turtles may have survived the planetary changes that killed the dinosaurs, but now they are threatened by fisheries. It's estimated that some 4,600 sea turtles are killed by fishing nets and hooks every year in U.S. waters. But off the coast of Mexico, one community is trying something different: hanging lights on their nets so turtles can avoid them. They've found a 50% reduction in turtle catch at night, while the fish catch has actually gone up! Learn more about the project in this video and this New York Times blog post.