NORTH MIAMI, FL - JULY 24: A sea turtle nest is marked off limits by yellow tape on the beach July 24, 2007 in North Miami, Florida. Each summer, April to September, Florida beaches host the largest gathering of nesting sea turtles in the United States. Sea turtles once roamed the oceans by the millions but over the past few centuries, the demand for sea turtle meat, eggs, shell, leather and oil and loss of habitat due to urban development along the coasts have greatly reduced their numbers. The Miami-Dade Parks Sea Turtle Nesting and Relocation Program, since 1980, has seen more than 537,134 endangered sea turtles hatched and released . (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)