BALTIMORE, Md.— The Center for Biological Diversity and 20 partner organizations petitioned NOAA Fisheries today to protect diamondback terrapins as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Aquatic turtles who live primarily in coastal marshes and estuaries from Massachusetts to Texas, these animals have declined by 75% across most of their range in the past 50 years.

“Tens of thousands of terrapins are drowning in crab traps each year. Without the lifeline of Endangered Species Act protection, they’ll sink into extinction,” said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity.

In many locations along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, terrapin populations have been wiped out completely.

Drowning in crab traps is a leading cause of death. These traps are submerged cages with funneled entrances that catch both crabs and air-breathing terrapins. Around 3 million crab traps are deployed each year by recreational and commercial crabbers, which kill tens of thousands of diamondback terrapins annually.

In addition, between 25% and 50% of all crab traps are lost or abandoned annually in coastal waters. These derelict cages — called ghost traps — kill tens of thousands more terrapins every year. Researchers estimate 60,000 to 80,000 terrapins are killed in active and abandoned crab traps each year.

Yet simple, proven solutions exist that could save terrapins. Bycatch reduction devices installed on crab traps have no negative effects on crab harvests, but they reduce diamondback terrapin deaths by 94%.

Terrapins are also threatened by habitat loss from sea-level rise and development. They’ve already lost half of their original wetlands and are expected to lose up to 60% of their coastal marsh habitat by the end of the century.

As these animals travel farther in search of habitat, thousands of egg-bearing females are killed along roads each year. Increasing pollution, poaching, predators, boat strikes and climate change also threaten them.

The Sierra Club, Project Terrapin, Healthy Gulf and American Littoral Society are among the 20 organizations joining the Center’s petition to protect diamondback terrapins.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group has expressed its support for the petition and its concern for the species’ future.

“On behalf of more than 400 scientists and conservationists who comprise the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, I urge you to take action to protect the diamondback terrapin at the federal level,” said Craig Stanford, PhD., chair of the group. “Extensive scientific studies have shown that — from habitat loss to roadkill mortality to crab pot drownings — this species is in peril.”

Diamondback terrapins have freckled bodies and distinct concentric diamond-shaped patterns on their shells. Adults can live up to 40 years, but only 1% of hatchlings survive to adulthood.