Now, just as scientists are beginning to fully understand these unusual creatures, the turtles are quickly disappearing. Similar population decreases have also been documented at beaches where leatherbacks nest on the western Pacific. 现在，就像科学家开始完全理解这些异常生物一样，乌龟也很快消失了。 在西太平洋筑巢的海滩上，还记录了类似的人口减少。

Scientists say that if nothing changes, the leatherbacks could completely disappear from the U.S. West Coast within 30 years. The population drops are mainly blamed on international fishing activities, the destruction of nesting grounds and climate change. 科学家说，如果什么都没有改变，棱角状可能会在30年内从美国西海岸完全消失。 人口下降主要归咎于国际捕鱼活动，筑巢场的破坏和气候变化。 

“The turtles were there and we finally started paying attention,” said Jim Harvey, director of San Jose State University's Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. He was a co-writer of the new study. “We got into looking at the story just as the story was ending,” Harvey told the AP. 圣何塞州立大学苔藓陆战海洋实验室主任吉姆·哈维（Jim Harvey）说：“乌龟在那里，我们终于开始关注。” 他是新研究的合着者。 哈维对美联社说：“随着故事的结尾，我们开始研究这个故事。” 

The study provides important information, but also shows the threats the leatherbacks face, said Daniel Pauly, a fisheries professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Pauly, who was not involved in the study, is an international expert on the effects of fishing on ocean ecosystems. 加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚大学的渔业教授丹尼尔·保利（Daniel Pauly）说，这项研究提供了重要的信息，但也显示了棱角状面部的威胁。 没有参与该研究的Pauly是捕鱼对海洋生态系统影响的国际专家。 

The animals can be killed when they get trapped in fishing equipment. Scientists say the population is also harmed because a lot of turtle eggs are removed from beaches. 当动物被困在钓鱼设备中时，它们可能会被杀死。 科学家说，人口也受到伤害，因为从海滩上移走了许多乌龟蛋。

Researchers say that while all the world's leatherbacks are under pressure, the group that migrates for months across the Pacific faces the greatest threats. 研究人员说，虽然世界上所有的棱角扣都承受着压力，但在太平洋迁移数月的小组面临着最大的威胁。 

“If you find the decline in one place, that might have a number of causes, but if you find the same estimate of decline in two places that is something much more serious,” Pauly said. He added that the sea turtles “are really in big trouble.” Pauly说：“如果您发现一个地方的下降，可能会有很多原因，但是如果您发现两个地方下降的估计值相同，那么这是更严重的事情。” 他补充说，海龟“确实遇到了很大的麻烦”。 

NOAA launched an aggressive plan to save leatherbacks in 2015 and is set to release a new action plan this month. The plan is meant to persuade governments and international organizations to join efforts to save the turtles. NOAA启动了一项激进的计划，以节省2015年的棱皮术，并将在本月发布新的动作计划。 该计划旨在说服政府和国际组织加入拯救海龟的努力。 

Benson, the NOAA ecologist, said there is still time to stop the decrease, but that it will require an immediate, international effort. “If nothing is done to reverse this course, this population will become … extinct in the Pacific Ocean." NOAA生态学家本森（Benson）说，还有时间停止下降，但这将需要立即，国际上的努力。 “如果没有采取任何措施来扭转这一课程，那么在太平洋灭绝的人群将成为……”。”