US Agency Plans Deeper Study of Sea Turtles, Dredging Threat

The U.S. Army Corps¹ of Engineers has agreed to study the effects of its dredging operations on sea turtles in the state of Georgia. Dredging is the process of removing sand from waterways.

The agency announced its decision Friday. Shortly after, local non-profit group One Hundred Miles withdrew its legal action aimed at stopping dredging.

"The Corps has now committed to what we've asked for, to go back and review the science," Catherine Ridley, a vice² president of the group, said Monday.

She said the science shows that seasonal³ dredging puts sea turtles at risk. And, she said, it threatens many years of progress in environmental protection in Georgia.

The now withdrawn⁴ legal action began in December of 2022. However, environmentalists have been fighting against dredging since 2021. That year, the Corps announced it would end a policy limiting dredging in shipping⁵ areas during nesting season for sea turtles. The seasonal ban had been in place since 1991.

The powerful pumps necessary to remove the sand are dangerous. They can hurt and kill the animals. Many female turtles spend the warmer months in areas where the dredging takes place. So the 1991 order ended dredging during those months.

Conservationists credit that policy with helping⁶ the sea turtle population to recover and grow its numbers.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for keeping shipping waterways clear. It said in a statement, that a fuller study will ensure the public, government and all interested who are involved in the examination. It also said investigators⁷ will look at all possible effects of dredging on humans and nature.

Since the 1990s, dredging in Georgia and in the states of North and South Carolina, is done from about December to March. Federally protected giant loggerhead sea turtles usually start releasing their eggs in the area in May. Smaller numbers of endangered green and Kemp's ridley sea turtles do the same.

The Corps has argued that seasonal dredging limits are no longer necessary. It says sea turtle populations have recovered enough, noting a National Marine⁸ Fisheries Service report from 2020. The report said protected sea turtle populations could withstand the estimated 150 deaths expected from year-round dredging.

Army Corps officials also argued that the ban makes it hard for them to get contracts with companies in the industry. And the Corps says that dredging periods timed to protect sea turtles ignore the needs of other animals, like the endangered North Atlantic right whales. Those large ocean animals visit the same waters in the winter.

The Army Corps said it does not know how long it will take to complete the newly-announced wide study.

Words in This Story

commit – v. to say that (someone or something) will definitely do something

1 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

4 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

5 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。