The U.S. Army Corps 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 vice president of the group, said Monday. She said the science shows that seasonal dredging puts sea turtles at risk. And, she said, it threatens many years of progress in environmental protection in Georgia.

美国陆军工程兵团已同意研究其疏浚作业对佐治亚州海龟的影响。疏浚是从水道中清除沙子的过程。该机构周五宣布了其决定。不久之后，当地非营利组织一百英里撤回了旨在停止疏浚的法律行动。该组织副总裁凯瑟琳·里德利 (Catherine Ridley) 周一表示：“军团现在已承诺按照我们的要求，回去审查科学。”她说，科学表明季节性疏浚会使海龟处于危险之中。而且，她说，它威胁到佐治亚州多年来在环境保护方面取得的进展。

The now withdrawn legal action began in December of 2022.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 shipping 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 helping 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 investigators will look at all possible effects of dredging on humans and nature.

现已撤回的法律行动于 2022 年 12 月开始。但是，自 2021 年以来，环保主义者一直在反对疏浚。那一年，海军陆战队宣布将终止在海龟筑巢季节限制航运区疏浚的政策。季节性禁令自 1991 年开始实施。清除沙子所需的强力泵很危险。他们可以伤害和杀死动物。许多雌性海龟在进行疏浚的地区度过温暖的月份。因此，1991 年的命令在那几个月结束了疏浚。环保主义者认为这项政策有助于海龟种群的恢复和数量增长。美国陆军工程兵团负责保持航道畅通。它在一份声明中说，更全面的研究将确保公众、政府和所有感兴趣的人参与考试。它还表示，调查人员将研究疏浚对人类和自然的所有可能影响。

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 Marine 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.

自 1990 年代以来，佐治亚州以及北卡罗来纳州和南卡罗来纳州的疏浚工作大约在 12 月至次年 3 月进行。受联邦保护的巨型红海龟通常在 5 月开始在该地区产卵。数量较少的濒临灭绝的绿海龟和坎普雷德海龟也有同样的行为。军团认为不再需要季节性疏浚限制。它说海龟种群已经恢复得足够好，并注意到国家海洋渔业局 2020 年的一份报告。该报告称，受保护的海龟种群可以承受全年疏浚造成的估计 150 人死亡。陆军军团官员还辩称，该禁令使他们很难与该行业的公司签订合同。军团表示，为保护海龟而安排的疏浚期忽视了其他动物的需求，比如濒临灭绝的北大西洋露脊鲸。那些大型海洋动物在冬天访问相同的水域。陆军军团表示不知道完成新宣布的广泛研究需要多长时间。