MUROTO, Kochi Prefecture--An endangered leatherback sea turtle found dead in a fishing net in local waters here in June had swallowed two plastic bags, an autopsy of its stomach contents showed.

Once prevalent in every ocean except the Arctic and Antarctic, the leatherback population is rapidly declining in many parts of the world. While all other sea turtles have hard, bony shells ...

SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California Fish and Game Commission voted today to protect leatherback sea turtles as endangered under the state’s Endangered Species Act. The commission acted on the ...