Alternative Text Description for Leatherback Sea Turtle Section 7 Consultation Area

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAP OVERVIEW

This map shows the Section 7 Consultation Area for Leatherback Sea Turtle as designated by NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office under the Endangered Species Act. The map displays marine waters surrounding Florida and extending into portions of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of America where federal agencies are recommended to conduct consultations due to the spatial and temporal occurrence of this listed species. The green hatched area represents waters where leatherback sea turtles are known to occur and where federal action agencies should consider potential impacts to this endangered species.

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

The map centers on the state of Florida and surrounding marine waters. The geographic extent includes portions of Alabama, Georgia, and the Atlantic coastal plain to the north. Major cities labeled include Birmingham and Montgomery in Alabama, Atlanta in Georgia, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and Miami in Florida, and Nassau in The Bahamas to the east. Cuba is visible to the south with Havana labeled, and Cancún appears in the western portion near the Yucatan Channel. The consultation area encompasses marine waters along Florida's entire coastline, extending into the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Gulf of America to the west and south.

KEY INSIGHTS

The Leatherback Sea Turtle consultation area forms a broad band of marine habitat completely surrounding the Florida peninsula. The consultation area extends significantly offshore, covering substantial portions of both the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of America. A notable gap exists over the Florida landmass itself, indicating the consultation area applies specifically to marine waters rather than terrestrial environments. The offshore extent of the consultation area is considerable, reaching well beyond Florida's immediate coastal waters into federal waters of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. The consultation area extends southward beyond the Florida Keys and westward into the Gulf of America, demonstrating the extensive range of leatherback sea turtle habitat in the region.

VISUAL ELEMENTS

Leatherback Sea Turtle Consultation Area

This layer represents marine waters where NOAA Fisheries recommends federal agencies conduct Section 7 consultations for actions that may affect leatherback sea turtles.

Marine Consultation Zone (green diagonal hatching pattern)

Appearance:

The consultation area is depicted with a green diagonal crosshatch pattern overlay on light blue ocean waters.

Distribution:

The consultation area surrounds Florida on all sides, covering Atlantic Ocean waters along the entire east coast from Jacksonville south to Miami, waters throughout the Gulf of America along Florida's west coast from the panhandle region through Tampa to the southwest coast, and waters south of the Florida Keys extending toward Cuba.

Notable locations:

Significant consultation area coverage appears off Jacksonville on the Atlantic side, throughout the Gulf of America waters west of Tampa and the Florida panhandle, along the entire Atlantic coastline, and in waters surrounding the Florida Keys. The consultation area extends eastward well into the Atlantic and westward deep into the Gulf of America.

Spatial patterns:

The consultation area forms a continuous marine zone wrapping around Florida's coastline with substantial offshore reach. The boundary between the consultation area and undesignated waters follows a relatively smooth curved line that roughly parallels Florida's coastline but extends many miles offshore. No consultation area is designated over land areas.

SYMBOL GUIDE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This map is intended to guide federal action agencies in determining when Section 7 consultations under the Endangered Species Act are recommended. The consultation areas represent locations where leatherback sea turtles' life stages, behaviors, and critical habitat occur based on best available scientific information. Activities outside the depicted consultation area but within close proximity to marine waters may still affect the species, particularly in small tributaries, shallow areas near marshes, or coastlines where spatial data resolution may be limited. Federal agencies are encouraged to request technical assistance from NOAA Fisheries to verify species presence or absence when making consultation determinations. The map reflects Version 2b of the consultation area dataset.

DATA CONTEXT

Data Source:

This dataset was developed by NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office (SERO) using best available scientific and commercial information combined with professional judgment. The data identifies locations where listed species' life stages, behaviors, and critical habitat occur to guide federal agencies in ESA Section 7 compliance. Data source layer name: CA_NMFS_POLY_SEP24.

Definition Query:

The map displays data filtered to show only leatherback sea turtle consultation areas (SPNAME = 'LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLE').

Scale Information:

The map shows a regional scale view appropriate for understanding the broad extent of leatherback sea turtle consultation areas around Florida and in adjacent marine waters.

Coordinate System:

NAD_1983_HARN_Florida_GDL_Albers (WKID 3087)

Time Period of Content:

This represents Version 2b of the consultation area dataset, dated September 2024 (SEP24).

Limitations:

Due to data limitations, consultation areas may lack spatial resolution to capture very small tributaries, shallow areas near marshes, or precise coastline details. Activities outside depicted consultation areas but within proximity to marine waters may still affect the species. Users who have more recent information not reflected in the consultation area data are encouraged to contact NOAA at nmfs.ser.esa.consultations@noaa.gov. Consultation areas are within the species range but may not include areas of extralimital occurrence.

Map Coverage:

The map covers the state of Florida, adjacent portions of Alabama, Georgia, and the Coastal Plain region, marine waters of the Atlantic Ocean east of Florida, the Gulf of America west and northwest of Florida, waters south of the Florida Keys, and portions of The Bahamas and Cuba shown for geographic context. The NOAA Southeast Region jurisdiction includes states of NC, SC, GA, FL, MS, AL, LA, TX, NM, OK, KS, NE, IA, MO, AR, TN, and KY, plus U.S. EEZ waters in the Atlantic Ocean from the NC/VA border through Florida, the Gulf of America, and U.S. Caribbean.

The alternative text description of this map was AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies.