Conservation groups fear that the number of endangered North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles being caught and drowned in fishing nets off the coast of Mexico may this year reach the alarming numbers registered in 2012, when scientists recorded a 600% jump over the average for earlier years. The problem threatens to generate a trade dispute between Mexico and the United States. In January, the U.S. Department of Commerce began a two-year process to determine whether Mexican regulations governing fisheries are comparable to those in the United States, where extensive rules are in place to protect loggerheads. If it determines that the rules are less exacting, then the law allows Washington to impose trade sanctions on Mexican exports. The North Pacific loggerhead turtles hatch in... [Log in to read more]