Loggerhead sea turtle policies of the Barack Obama Administration (2009-2017) gear in the loggerhead conservation area during the presence of El Niño conditions in order to protect the endangered North Pacific Ocean loggerhead DPS. This ruling effective July 23, 2014 was intended to prevent bycatch of loggerhead sea turtles. A team including sea turtle biologists and oceanographers determined the presence of El Niño conditions based on the “El Niño watch” issued by the Climate Prediction Center (CPC), anomalies found in sea surface temperature (SST) charts published by NOAA’s Coast Watch Program, the presence of loggerhead sea turtles in the Pacific loggerhead conservation area, and reports of loggerhead strandings. The SST
Loggerhead Key Loggerhead Key Loggerhead Key is an uninhabited tropical island within the Dry Tortugas group of islands inside the Gulf of Mexico. At approximately 49 acres (19.8 hectares) in size, it is the largest island of the Dry Tortugas. Despite being uninhabited, the island receives visitors, such as day visitors and campers. The island only has a few built structures, including the Dry Tortugas Light and a lightkeeper's house that was constructed in the 1920s. The island has drinking water derived using desalination technology and solar power. The Carnegie Marine Biological Laboratory operated on Loggerhead Key from 1904 to 1939. Loggerhead