CONTENTS · 2015. 9. 2. · (Lepidochelys olivacea)is known as ‚Tupalo™, The rest of the...

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CONTENTS

JANUARY 2006

Form No. 5 Front

Form No. 4 Front

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The Indian Ocean Turtle Newsletter was initiated to provide a forum for exchange of information on sea turtle biology and conservation, management and education and awareness activities in the Indian subcontinent, Indian Ocean region, and South/Southeast Asia. The newsletter also intends to cover related aspects such as coastal zone management, fisheries and marine biology.

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Reference styles in list:

Vijaya, J. 1982. Turtle slaughter in India. Marine Turtle Newsletter 23: 2.

Silas, E.G., M. Rajagopalan, A.B. Fernando & S. S. Dan. 1985. Marine turtle conservation & management: A survey of the situation in Orissa 1981/82 & 1982/83. Marine Fisheries Information Service Technical & Extension Service 50: 13-23.

Pandav, B. 2000. Conservation & management of olive ridley sea turtles on the Orissa coast. PhD thesis. Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, India.

Kar, C.S. & S. Bhaskar. 1982. The status of sea turtles in the Eastern Indian Ocean. In: The Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles (ed. K. Bjorndal), pp. 365-372. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., USA.

This newsletter is produced with additional support from the Ford Foundation, New Delhi to the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment.

The Indian Ocean Turtle Newsletter is produced by the Coastal and Marine Programme, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bangalore. ATREE addresses issues relating to India's rapidly diminishing biological resources and natural ecosystems by integrating rigorous science with policy, education and socially responsible conservation action. The Coastal and Marine Programme at ATREE focuses on the development of approaches that are participatory, appropriate and which promote the sustainable use of marine resources.

January, 2006

Indian Ocean Turtle Newsletter No. 3

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Perceptions of local stakeholders about marine turtles on the Sindhudurgcoast of southern Maharashtra, India

Aditya Kakodkar

DD�s Cross Building, Agalli, Fatorda,Margao, Goa 403 602. India.

Email: [email protected]

Introduction

Five sea turtles are known to occur on the coast ofMaharashtra (Giri, 2001). This project investigatesthe present status of marine turtles on the Sindhudurgcoast of Maharashtra. Nesting on the Sindhudurgcoast is sporadic, but there are adverse impacts onmarine turtles due to killing for meat and poachingof eggs (Giri, 2001).

Study Area and Methods

The study was carried out in Sindhudurg, the southern-most district of Maharashtra (15035�N to 16033�Nand 730 18�E to 740 13�E), with a coastline of 121km (Figure 1). The coastline is divided into threetalukas namely Vengurla, Malvan and Deogad, fromsouth to north. Malvan taluka is the most importantfish landing area of Sindhudurg district, followed byDeogad and Vengurla. This district was speciallychosen as it has a rich coastal environment and hasan identified site for a marine park.

Thirteen sites were chosen for the execution ofthe project. There were five sites in the Malvantaluka, and four sites each in Deogad and Vengurlatalukas. The sites are: Malvan taluka � 1) Achra,2) Talashil, 3) Sarjekot, 4) Malvan and 5) Deobag;Deogad taluka � 1) Tambeldeg, 2) Padvane, 3)Vijaydurg and 4) Deogad; Vengurla taluka � 1)Redi, 2) Neevti, 3) Bhogve and 4) Vengurla. Thesites were selected according to the intensity offishing activities in the region and the population ofthe villages. Malvan and Deogad talukas have alarge number of fishermen with mixed fishing fordifferent types of fishes. The fishing community inVengurla is very small with mainly shrimp fishing.

The method involved direct interviews with localstakeholders i.e. fishermen and local people. A

technique of stratified random sampling wasemployed, where the stakeholders were dividedaccording to their age group and occupation. Tenfishermen interviewed at each study site, includingyoung fishermen below the age of 25 years (2), amiddle age group of between 25-50 years (4) andthe old age group of 50 years and above (4). Theviews of this last group were particularly importantas they were able to compare present and paststatus of the coastal environment and marine turtles.

Eight local persons were interviewed at each site,including teachers in local schools and colleges (2),students (2), businessmen (2), and lay persons (2)constituting people from different occupations. Thebusiness people also included local fisherwomen insome places. The sample size was increased to 12at study sites with higher population; here 4 teachersand 4 laymen were interviewed. Differentquestionnaires were used for the fishermen and thelocal population (see Appendix). The data werecollected through individual interviews.

Results and Discussion

Interviews with fishermen

The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)is locally known as �Kurma�, wheras the olive ridley(Lepidochelys olivacea)is known as �Tupalo�,The rest of the turtles are generally referred to as�Kasai�. The data collected through the interviewsshowed frequent encounters of olive ridley turtles,while fishing was common all through the studyarea. Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) were morecommon in the Vengurla and Malvan talukascompared to Deogad. The reported encounters ofgreen turtles decreased northwards. Theleatherback turtle was encountered near theMalvan taluka and less in the Vengurla and Deogad

January, 2006

Indian Ocean Turtle Newsletter No.3

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talukas. There were no confirmed records ofloggerhead (Caretta caretta) and hawksbill turtles(Eretmochelys imbricata). Encounters with turtleswere reported mostly in the post-monsoon seasonafter September whereas some believed that therewas no particular season for nesting. The fishermenmostly encountered marine turtles entangled in theirgear in the morning or at night. The average curvedcarapace length (CCL) of the marine turtlesencountered by the fishermen ranged from 45 -65cm. The weight was reported to be from 15 -100 kg. Almost all of the interviewees reported lessthan five encounters with marine turtles per day.All fishermen reported turtle nesting on the beachesnear their villages.

There are not many reports of the sighting of marineturtles on the coast of Sindhudurg in recent years.The sightings reported in the study area were of aleatherback turtle at Chiwla beach in Malvan andof an olive ridley turtle at Deobag; in both casesthe turtles were caught in dragnets. Two younggreen turtles (CCL - 25cm and 45cm) were foundin two separate wells near the shore at Neevtiwhere they had been kept for consumption at alater time. These were also caught in a dragnet.One dead turtle each was encountered at Vengurlaand Malvan, the former a green turtle (CCL - about90cm), and the latter an olive ridley turtle (CCL -65cm). The head of the green turtle was missing,while the ridley had a broken carapace with intactcostal scutes and damaged central scutes.

Fishermen were aware of the legal protection formarine turtles; they denied poaching of marineturtles and said they set turtles free whenever theygot entangled in their fishing gear (almost 100%).Trade in turtle products is very common along theSindhudurg coast and both fishermen and localpeople actively participate in it. Not a single villagewas found where there was no turtle trade. Mainly,turtle meat is consumed; there are also superstitionsabout its medicinal value in treating bone disorders.The eggs are sold at approximately Rs 2 each,although there are some reports of eggs being soldat the rate of Rs 5 per egg. The meat is usually notsold due to the fear of being legally punished but insome places the whole turtle is sold for Rs 250-500; this was reported mainly from the fishing town

of Malvan. Reports suggest that if a turtle isencountered at sea, it is killed and its meat is packedin containers, and the leftovers are disposed at seato avoid detection. The leatherback turtle is mostlynot harmed. Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) arenot used or known.

Interviews with the local population

Most members of the local population (73% ofteachers, 96% of students, 91% of laymen and about83% of businessmen) knew that the turtles nest onthe Sindhudurg coast. Fifty two percent of teachers,75% of teachers, 88% of students, 79% of laymen,and 91% of businessmen say that local fishermenand local people are involved in the illegal trade.Fifty five percent of the interviewed teachers, 33%of students, 41% of laymen and 65% ofbusinessmen consume turtle products. All the fourgroups reported that turtle eggs are sold for Rs 5-10 per egg, while teachers and businessmenreported that turtle meat is sold at up to Rs 30 perkg. Most of the people who consumed turtle eggsdid so for the taste of the eggs. Almost all of theinterviewed groups felt the need for theconservation of marine turtles. Fifty eight percentof teachers, 46% of students, 62% of laymen, and57% of businessmen knew that marine turtles arelegally protected. The lowest level of awarenesswas among teachers whereas lay persons and thestudents were most aware.

There are some conservation efforts for marineturtles in Deogad taluka (Padvane and Tambeldegvillages) where the forest department and localpeople have come together to protect the nests ofthe marine turtles. There are some places wherethe fishing activities are minimal, where locals canearn their livelihood through tourism and thus benefitfinancially from extending protection to marineturtle nests. Such programmes are worth trying atKolamb, Bhogve, Tambaldeg, and Padvane. Dailysurveys must be carried out on the nesting beachesto find the nests before poachers or predators do.Some areas that have less fishing activities andpotential as nesting habitats should be declared ascommunity reserves. In-situ conservation practices,as seen in Tambeldeg and Padvane, should beencouraged.

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Acknowledgements: I would like to thank Prof J.S. Samant, Head, Department of EnvironmentalScience, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, for guidingme through this study. I would like to also thankSujeet Kumar Dongre, Vijay Parbat, SuhasWaingainkar, N.S. Daptardar, R.P. Jadhav, the

Literature Cited

Giri, V. 2001. Survey of marine turtles along the coast ofMaharastra and Goa. A GOI�UNDP sea turtle projectreport. Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai. 18 p.

fisher folk, local people and all the other stakeholderswho were interviewed during the study, for thekindness that they have shown, by giving meinformation about the target fauna and extendingtheir support whenever it was required.

Figure 1: Map of the Sindhudurg coast ofMaharashtra on the west coast of India

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APPENDIX

Questionnaire for Fishermen:

1) How long have you been fishing? ___ Years.2) During which time of the day do you go out for fishing?

a) Mornings, b) Evenings, c) Afternoons, d) Nights3) What is the fishing gear used?

a) Gillnet, b) Rampan (dragnet), c) Purse seine, d) Cast net, e) Hook and line, f) Trawls, g) Others4) Which craft is used?

a) Trawler (Mechanized),b) Dugout, d) Any other_________.5) Do you encounter any sea turtles while fishing? Yes/No.6) Which of the following are caught in the net? (Visual key)

a) Olive ridley Turtle, b) Green Turtle, c) Leatherback Turtle, d) Hawksbill Turtle, e) Loggerhead Turtle7) Do the turtles get entangled in your fishing gear? Yes/No.

* If yes how do you deal with them?a) Kill them, b) Release them, c) Cut the net to set them free, d) Throw away the net, e) Do nothing

about it, f) Amputate them.* If released for what reason? ________________________* If amputed for what reason? _____________________________________* If sold in the market or personally consumed? ___________________________

8)Which is the season? ________________Month9)What is the time? a) Mornings, b) Evenings, c) Afternoons, d) Nights

* Which area and how far away from the shore? ___________________________* What depth? _______________________________

10) What is the mesh size of your net? _________mm.11) What is the average size of a turtle?_____ cms.12) What is the approximate weight?________ Kilograms.13) What are the encounters/ day? a) Less than 5, b) 5-10, c) 10-15, d) 15 or more.14) Do you use any special technique to avoid catching turtles (TEDs)? Yes/No.

* If yes, what type?___________________15) Do you know about turtles visiting the Sindhudurg coast? Yes/ No.16) Since when do you think turtles visit Sindhudurg coast?

a) Personal knowledge: _______ Years.b) From other sources:________ Years.

17) For what purpose do you think the turtles visit the coast?a) For laying eggs, b) For feeding, c) For mating, d) Don�t know, e) Any other.

18) Have you seen any sea turtles on the beaches of Sindhudurg lately? Yes/ No.* If yes, When?a) Deobagh, b) Tarkarli, c) Kolamb, d) Sarjekot, e) Rest house, f) Jetty, g) Achra, h) Neevati, i) Other?

19) Which are the areas in sea / beaches where maximum number of turtles is noticed?_________________________________________

20) You know about the trade of turtle eggs and meat? Yes/ No.* If yes, do you take part in it? Yes/ No. In what way?____________________

21) What do the fishermen do when they encounter a turtle nest?a) Leave it as it is, b) Collect and sell the eggs, c) Collect the eggs for household consumption, d) Use

it as bait for fishing, e) Inform others.22) Do you eat turtle meat/ eggs? Yes/ No.23) Why do you think people eat turtle meat and eggs?

a) Taste, b) Rare, c) Cure for illnesses, d) Nutritious, e) Cheap, e) Others_____24) If you think turtle eggs and meat are traded how much do they sell it for?

* Eggs (Rate per egg): a) Up to Rs 5, b) Rs 5 � Rs 10, c) Rs 10- Rs 15, d) Above Rs15.* Meat (Rate per Kilogram): a) Up to Rs30, b) Rs 30 � Rs 50,c) Rs 50 � Rs 100, d) above Rs 100.

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25) How many turtles per year are caught in a net per fishing trawler/season? ____ (%)26) How many of them are young (immature) ____________ (%).27) How many turtles may be caught in your area per year? _____ (%).28) How many out of the caught/ entangled are released or escape? _______ (%).29) How does a turtle die in a encounter?_______________________30) Do you think it can be saved or protected? And how? __________________31) What do you think should be done to conserve turtles?

a) Stop illegal trade, b) Stop killing turtles for meat, c) Use turtle friendly fishing gear (TED�s), d)Disallow encroachment of beaches, e) Ex-situ practices f) other, If other, specify_____________________.

32) Do you think there are any other predators of turtles in the sea? Yes/ No.* If yes, which, a) Sharks, b) Others___________________* And of their eggs, a) Dogs, b) Foxes, c) Crows, d) Crabs, e) Monitor lizards f) Other,* If other, specify______________________________.

33) Do you know that trading turtle products is a punishable offence? Yes/ No

Questionnaire for Local population:

1) Do you visit the coast near your village? Yes/ No* If yes, specify how often, a) Every day, b) Once a month, c) Once a week, d) Rarely, e) Others.* If others, specify ________________.

2) What are the changes that you have noticed in the recent times near the coast that were not seen in the past? (Ten years or more)

a) New infrastructure, b) Increase in the fishing activities, c) More tourism related activities (Hotels),d) Houses and other constructions, e) Plantations, f) Others

3) Do you know about sea turtles visiting Sindhudurg coast? Yes/ No4) For what purpose do you think the turtles visit the coast?

a) For laying eggs, b) For feeding, c) For mating, d) Don�t know,e) For resting, f) Other______________________

5) Have you seen any sea turtles on the beaches of Sindhudurg (recently)? Yes/ No* If yes, When ?__________Where? ______________________________a) Deobagh, b) Tarkarli, c) Kolamb, d) Sarjekot, e) Rest house, f) Jetty, g) Achra, h) Neevati, i) Other?* How many______________

6) Do you know about the illegal turtle trade? Yes/ No7) Who does this trade?

a) Fishermen, b) Local people, c) Business people, d) Any other8) Have you ever bought or consumed a turtle egg or meat? Yes/ No9) Why do you think people eat turtle meat and eggs?

a) Taste, b) Rare, c) Cure for illnesses, d) Nutritious, e) Cheap, f) Others________10) If you think turtle eggs and meat are traded how much do they sell it for?

* Eggs (Rate per egg): a) Up to Rs 5, b) Rs 5 � Rs 10, c) Rs 10- Rs 15, d) Above Rs15.* Meat (Rate per Kilogram): a) Up to Rs30, b) Rs 30 � Rs 50,c) Rs 50 � Rs 100, d) above Rs 100.

11) Do you think sea turtles should be conserved? Yes/ No, * If yes why?________12) What do you think should be done to conserve marine turtles?

a) Stop illegal trade, b) Stop killing turtles for meat, c) Use turtle friendly fishing gear,d ) Disallow encroachment of beaches, e) Ex-situ practices, f) Other* If other, specify______________________

13) Do you know that trading turtle products is a punishable offence? Yes/ No* If yes what is the punishment?________________________________

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Introduction

The state of Gujarat on the west coast of India isbelieved to harbour four species of sea turtles,including the olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea),green turtle (Chelonia mydas), leatherback turtle(Dermochelys coriacea) and hawksbill turtle(Eretmochelys imbricata). However, only oliveridley and green turtles breed along the Gujarat coast(Bhaskar, 1978; Kar & Bhaskar, 1982; Bhaskar1984); the other two species have been occasionallysighted by local fishermen. Even though sea turtleresearch started in the late 1970s on the Gujaratcoast, the work comprised short-term and rapidsurveys. These studies discussed possible nestingsites (Bhaskar, 1978; Kar & Bhaskar, 1982 ;Bhaskar, 1984), threats (Frazier, 1980; Frazier, 1989)and some information on tag returns (Firdous, 1991).Though the Gujarat coast has nesting of green turtlesand olive ridleys, no long-term data are available.

While the national Government of India - UNDPsea turtle project (2000-01) came up with baselinestatus for many coastal districts (Sunderraj et al.,2002), full breeding season surveys were not carriedout in all the sites. The Centre for Herpetology,Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT), TamilNadu launched the UNEP � CMS sea turtle projectin January 2004. The Gujarat Institute of DesertEcology (GUIDE), Bhuj, Gujarat is one of thecollaborative agencies involved in this nation-wideproject for long-term monitoring, capacity buildingand networking of different stakeholders towardsthe conservation of sea turtles along the Indiancoast. Though this project covered many aspectsof sea turtle nesting biology, this report discussesthe broad outcomes of a few project activities andtheir status.

Project Activities

Stakeholder survey

One of the aims of the project was to enhance theknowledge of different stakeholders (governmentand non-government) and create a conservationnetwork by providing training towards theconservation and management of marine turtles inthe state. To achieve this, some of the coastalstretches in Gujarat were selected for making thecoastal populace aware of the project and impartknowledge on the significance of the conservationof marine turtles. Stakeholder surveys were carriedout in four districts namely Kachchh, Jamnagar,Porbandhar and Junagadh.

GSFD � involvement

Co-coordinating the project with the Gujarat StateForest Department (GSFD) was another objectiveof the project. Therefore, implementation of theproject was communicated to the state andconcerned district level authorities like the ChiefConservator of Forest (state), Conservators andDeputy Conservators of Forest of Kachchh,Jamnagar, Porbandhar and Junagadh districts. Fieldlevel forest department staff like foresters, forestguards and watchers were involved in nestmonitoring with the guidance of their higherauthorities. Field level staff of Kachchh andPorbandhar districts were actively involved in nestmonitoring, which has provided nesting data to theproject.

Training workshop

Under this project, two training workshops wereconducted in Kachchh and Porbandhar districts

Status report on the UNEP � CMS sea turtle project on the Gujarat coast, India

S.F. Wesley Sunderraj and Justus Joshua

Gujarat Institute of Desert EcologyP.O.Box: 83, Oppt Changleshwar Temple

Mundra Road, Bhuj � 370 001, Kachchh, Gujarat. India.Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

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especially for the state forest staff. Theseworkshops had three in-house lectures in Hindi andGujarati and a field demonstration. In the firstsession, the participants were introduced to basicfacts about sea turtles. The second session was ontechniques to identify turtle species and monitoringof nesting beaches. The third session was on seaturtle egg collection, translocation and hatcherymanagement. They were also taught about theadvantages and disadvantages of sea turtle hatcheryprogrammes and the need for proper management.In the afternoon, participants were taken to thenearest beach and taught how to collect data in thefield. Model turtle nests were constructed on thebeach with dummy eggs. They were trained tolocate and identify the nests of different species.Further, they were shown how to differentiate neststhat were predated and not predated along withdifferentiation of predators based on field tracksand signs present in and around the model nests. Afield guide was prepared in the local language(Gujarati) and distributed to the participants.

Selection of coastal districts

Gujarat state has the longest coastline in Indiacovering more than 1600 km and contributing around22% of the total coastline (7100 km) of the country,of which only 500 km of coast distributed in sixcoastal districts is suitable for nesting (Sunderraj etal., 2002). Further, only Kachchh, Jamnagar andJunagadh had significant nesting, and these districtswere selected for nesting population estimation.

Nest Monitoring

Monitoring of nesting was carried out using twomethods: (1) Intensive monitoring of index beaches

by the project personnel, and (2) nesting survey forthe hatchery programme of the forest departmentstaff. The nesting season of the olive ridley startsin June and ends in about early November whilegreen turtles nest between July and January(Bhaskar, 1984). However, recent turtle eggcollection programmes for Gujarat State ForestDepartment hatcheries at Madhavpur village ofPorbandher district showed sporadic nesting of botholive ridley and green turtles until March. Thereforethe index beaches were monitored from February2004 to March 2005.

Project Status

Networking of Stakeholders

A total of 31 stretches/villages were rapidlysurveyed in four coastal districts and five types ofstakeholders were identified. They wererepresentatives of NGO groups, Gujarat StateForest Department staff, coastal villagers, fisherfolkand others (naturalists). These different groups ofpeople were informed about the importance andnature of their role in the project and the workinvolved through informal dialogue. A total of 75people of different stakeholder groups werecontacted and meetings and discussions were heldwith these individuals. The groups included 18 forestdepartment staff (FDS), 20 fisherfolk (FF), 20coastal villagers (CV), 12 representatives of sixNGOs , and a few naturalists (O) (Table 1).

NGO involvement

During the stakeholder identification survey, a fewNGOs like Panchjany Pariyavaran Trust � BetDwarka, Amateur Rangers Nature Club, Mithapur

Table 1: Details of stakeholder survey for networking

District No. of villages Types of stakeholderssurveyed

FDS FF CV NGO OKachchh 6 8 4 4 3 4Jamnagar 12 2 8 4 6 -Porbandhar 8 4 6 10 3 -Junagadh 5 4 2 2 - 1Total 31 18 20 20 12 5

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GSFD � activity

The Gujarat State Forest Department staffsurveyed Kachchh and part of Porbandhar coastunder their sea turtle hatchery programme for aperiod of four months covering a distance of around50 and 70 km respectively. In Porbandhar, two newturtle hatcheries were established while one newhatchery was established on the Kachchh coast, inaddition to the one on the Mandvi coast.

Monitoring of Index beaches

A total of 14 index beaches were surveyed fromFebruary 2004 till March 2005, which includesseven, three and four beaches on the Jamnagar(Feb 2004 � Mar 05), Porbandhar and Junagadh(Mar 2004 � Mar 05) coasts. In addition, threebeaches, two in Jamnagar and one in Porbandharwere monitored for a period of seven and ninemonths respectively (Table 3). Under this project,a total of 17 beaches with varying length of 3-5 kmcovering a total distance of 73.5 km were monitored.All these index beaches were surveyed once a weekwhile additional beaches were surveyed once amonth during early morning and late evening.

Nesting season

Olive ridleys have been reported to nest betweenJune and early November, while green turtle nesting

� Okha, Okha-Mandal Pariyavaran Vikas inJamnagar district, and Kachba Unchar Kendra �Madhavpur in Porbandhar district were veryinterested in participating in the sea turtleconservation network. In addition, the president ofGir Youth Nature Club � Bhavnagar and Amrelidistrict also showed interest in joining the network.

In total, 58 participants took part in the workshop,which included two Deputy Conservators of Forest(DCF) of Kachchh and Porbandhar districts whoinaugurated the workshop in their respective areas.The other officer level participants were twoAssistance Conservators of Forest (ACF), and sixRange Forester Officers (RFO). The field levelstaff trained under this workshop included nineforesters, 30 forest guards and 8 forest watchers(Table 2). In addition six representatives fromNGOs also attended the workshop. As a result ofthe workshop and concern of the high nest predationpressure, the forest department initiated two seaturtle hatchery programmes on the Kachchh andPorbandhar coasts.

Table 2: Details of workshop participants

Table 3: Details of index beaches and their monitoring schedule

JMC � Jamnagar Coast, PBC � Porbandhar Coast, JUC � Junagadh coast, AB � Additional Beach, KUC � Kachchh Coast. IB-Index Beach, MP- Monitoring Period, MF- Monitoring Frequency

Coastal Number of MP MF Total Beach Length Total distance (km)

JMC - IB 7 14 Weekly 56 4 5 32PBC - IB 3 13 Weekly 52 4 5 13.5JUC 4 13 Weekly 52 3 4.5 15JMC - AB 2 9 Monthly 9 3 4 8PBC - AB 1 7 Monthly 7 5 5TOTAL 17 73.5KUC-GSFD 4 Ca.40PBC-GSFD 4 Ca.80

Districts beaches (month) days

Participants Kachchh Porbandhar

Total 32 26 58

Totalcoast coast

No.of OfficersDCF 1 1 2ACF 2 2RFO 5 2 7

No. of Field StaffForesters 3 6 9Forest Guard 17 13 30Forest watchers 4 4 8

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was reported to start in July and end in January(Bhaskar, 1984). However, monitoring of nestingactivity along the index beaches (April 2004 - March2005) showed nesting of olive ridleys until Marchwith few nests in all the months except in the monthof April 2004. Green turtles nested in all the monthsexcept in May and June 2004. Both the speciesreported more number of nests in March 2004,which is out of their main nesting season. Thus theGujarat coast had nesting activity throughout theyear (Figure 1).

Nesting status

Intensive monitoring of index beaches resulted inthe record of 859, 363 and 508 nests in the Jamnagar,Porbandhar and Junagadh coasts respectively. Eventhough all the coasts reported more green turtlenests, its contribution was more in the Junagadh(68%) and Porbandhar coasts (67%) than Jamnagarcoast (61%). During the survey period a total of1902 nests were reported with 1234 green and 668olive ridley nests (Table 4). Green turtles constituted65% of overall nesting while olive ridleys (35%)contributed the rest.

Conclusion

Under this project, 47 field level Gujarat State ForestDepartment staff and six NGOs were activelyinvolved in project related activities. Two workshopswere conducted to enhance their knowledge of seaturtle biology, hatchery management and overallconservation. This project facilitated monitoring of14 index beaches, which provided full nesting

season data for the first time for the Gujarat coast.Nesting of green turtles was more than olive ridleysand both species nest sporadically throughout theyear. Similar species composition of 68% green and32% olive ridley turtle nests was reported in theearlier study (Sunderraj et al., 2002). Long termmonitoring of index beaches and identification ofmore potential beaches is essential to understandthe overall nesting trend for the Gujarat coast.

Acknowledgements: We acknowledge UNEP -CMS for funding the project, Chief Conservator ofForest, Gujarat for permission, and Conservators,Deputy and Assistant Conservators of theconcerned coastal districts for their logistic support.Thanks are due to all the field level forestdepartment staff and NGOs for their activeparticipation in the project. We are grateful toLomesh Brahmbhatt, Dr. Pankaj N. Joshi,Muthuraman, Sanjay K. Das, and S. RajendraKumar for assisting us during the index beachsurveys.

Table 4. Status of nesting population along the index beaches � coast specific

IB = Index beaches, AB = Additional beaches

Coasts Number of Olive Ridley Green Turtle Total

# of nests R % # of nests R % # of nestsJamnagar IB - 7 338 39.35 521 60.65 859

AB - 2 23 63 86Porbandhar IB - 3 121 33.33 242 66.67 363

AB - 1 22 64 86Junagadh IB - 4 164 32.28 344 67.72 508Total 668 35.12 1234 64.88 1902

beaches

Figure 1. Nesting Activity along the Index Beaches

0

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Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005

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OliveGreenOverall

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A note on the green sea turtles rescued in Tuticorin,Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu

A.A. Murugan1 and V. Naganathan2

1Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute, 44-Beach Road, Tuticorin-628 001.2Wildlife Warden, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, Ramanathapuram.

Email: [email protected]

The Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve,established in 1989, is located in Tamil Nadu on thesoutheast coast of India between 8º45�N and 9º25�Nand 78º05�E and 79º30�E and harbours marinebiodiversity of global significance. It is unique andrenowned for its coral reef, sea grass and seaweedecosystems. All five species of sea turtles (green,olive ridley, hawksbill, loggerhead and leatherbackturtles) found in Indian waters have been reportedalong the Tamil Nadu coast. The rich coral reefand sea grass areas in the Gulf of Mannar form agood foraging ground for sea turtles and hence allthe five species are reported to frequent this area.

The Gulf of Mannar coast was known for sea turtletrade in the 1960s. Targeted sea turtle fishing wascarried out in this area during that period. Greenturtles formed the majority of the catch and its bloodhas been considered as an elixir in the Tuticorinarea (Rajagopalan, 1984). The turtle meat isbelieved to cure piles though no authentic scientificproof exists (Murugan, 2003). Death or injury dueto turtle poisoning has also been reported along theTuticorin coast (Silas and Bastian Fernando, 1984).

After the inclusion of all five species of sea turtlesin Schedule I of the Indian Wild Life (Protection)Act 1972, exploitation was reduced to a greatextent. The Gulf of Mannar region, including theislands, was also reported to be a good turtle nestingground earlier (Chacko, 1942; CMFRI, 1977;Bastian Fernando, 1983). However, in recent years,nesting intensity has reduced substantially(Bhupathy and Saravanan, 2001) owing to manyfactors especially habitat degradation/disturbance,increased fishing pressure, incidental catch,exploitation for meat, egg collection, etc. Incidentalcatch is reported to be high on the east coast ofIndia during the breeding season from October toFebruary. The stranding or landings of sea turtleshave been sporadically reported in the Gulf ofMannar area (Kasinathan, 1988; Krishna Pillai andKasinathan, 1989; Ganapathy, 1994; Krishna Pillaiet al., 1995; Krishna Pillai, 1998).

Four sea turtles were rescued on 23.07.2003 froman illegal trader by the officials of the Gulf ofMannar Marine National Park based on theinformation from police and released into the sea

Literature Cited

Bhaskar, S. 1978. Note from the Gulf of Kutch.Hamadryad 3: 9 -10.

Bhaskar, S. 1984. The distribution and status of seaturtles in India. Proceeding of the workshop on SeaTurtle Conservation: CMFRI publication No. 18.

Firdous F. 1991. A turtle�s journey from Pakistan(Karachi) to India (Gujarat). Marine Turtle Newsletter53: 18 � 19.

Frazier, J. 1980. Exploitation of marine turtles in the IndianOcean. Human Ecology 4: 329-368.

Frazier, J. 1989. Observations of stranded green turtles, (Chelonia mydas), in the Gulf of Kutch. Journal of theBombay Natural History Society 86: 250-252.

Kar, C.S. & S. Bhaskar. 1982. The status of sea turtles inthe Eastern Indian Ocean. In: The Biology andConservation of Sea Turtles (ed. K.A. Bjorndal) pp. 365� 372. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.

Sunderraj. S.F.W., J. Joshua, V.V. Kumar, J.S. Serebiah,I.L. Patel, A. Saravanakumar & N.M. Joshi. 2002. Statusof the breeding population of sea turtles along theGujarat Coast. A GOI UNDP Sea Turtle Project Report.Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology, Bhuj, India. 44 p.

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on 24.07.2003. After the rescue, the sea turtleswere handed over to Suganthi Devadason MarineResearch Institute (SDMRI) for identification andfurther study. The turtles were identified as greenturtles, Chelonia mydas (one male and threefemales). Owing to rough handling of the animals,bloody scratches were observed on the carapace.Otherwise, all the turtles were in good condition.There were no other visible external injuries. Notags were found. The Curved Carapace Length(CCL) and Curved Carapace Width (CCW) of theturtles were measured and weight was taken(Table 1). The male turtle was the biggest amongthe four and weighed 83.5 kg. The turtles weremaintained in SDMRI’s shore laboratory in the

Agastheesapillai, A. & R. Thiagarajan. 1979. Biology ofthe green turtle Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus) in the Gulfof Mannar and Palk Bay. Journal of the MarineBiological Association of India 21: 45-60.

Bhupathy, S. & S. Saravanan. 2001. A report on thestatus of sea turtles along the Tamil Nadu coast. In:Proceedings of the national workshop for thedevelopment of a national sea turtle conservationaction plan, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa (Eds. K. Shanker& B.C. Choudhury), pp. 70 -73. GOI-UNDP Sea TurtleProject. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India.

Chacko, P.I. 1942. A note on the nesting habit of theolive loggerhead turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea(Eschscholtz) at Krusadai. Current Science, 12: 60-61.

CMFRI, 1977. Report on the survey of the islands ofGulf of Mannar for the setting up of a Marine NationalPark.

Fernando, A.B. 1983. Nesting site and hatching of thehawksbill turtle along Tirunelveli coast of Tamil Nadu.Marine Fisheries Information Service T & E Series 50:33-34.

Ganapathy, A. 1994. On a hawksbill turtle washed ashorenear Thondi along Palk Bay coast in Tamil Nadu. MarineFisheries Information Service T & E Series 133: 19.

Kasinathan, C. 1988. Olive ridleys landed at Pamban

reported. Marine Fisheries Information Service T & ESeries 84: 10.

Krishna Pillai, S. 1998. On the landing of an olive ridleyturtle at Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu and updated recordof incidental catches of sea turtles in India. MarineFisheries Information Service T & E Series 157: 17-20.

Krishna Pillai, S. & C. Kasinathan. 1989. On two speciesof marine turtles caught off Dhanushkodi, Gulf ofMannar. Marine Fisheries Information Service T & ESeries 102: 17-18.

Krishna Pillai, S., M. Badrudeen & M. Bose. 1995. On aleatherback Dermochelys coriacea landed atRameswaram. Marine Fisheries Information Service T& E Series140: 11.

Murugan, A. 2003. Status of Sea Turtles in India withemphasis on Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In:Proceedings of the 3rd Workshop of SEASTAR 2000: 63-70.

Rajagopalan, M. 1984. Value of sea turtles to India. In:Proceedings of the Workshop on Sea TurtleConservation (ed. E.G.. Silas), pp 49-58. Central MarineFisheries Research Institute Special Publication 18.

Silas, E.G. & A. Bastian Fernando. 1984. Turtle poisoning.Bulletin of the Central Marine Fisheries ResearchInstitute 35: 62-70.

Tuticorin harbour area until 24.07.2003 midnight andafter the completion of judicial formalities, the turtleswere safely released into the sea. The turtles weresaid to be from incidental catch and no properinformation is available on the exact location of thecatch.

Table 1: Morphometrics of the rescued turtles

1. F 61 59 262. F 76 71 51.53. F 92.5 78 704. M 98 79 83.5

Sex CCL CCW Weight(kg)(cm) (cm)

Literature Cited

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Paulus Edward Pieris Deraniyagala was born on May8, 1900. He was the eldest son of Sir DeraniyagalaPaulus Edward Pieris, a noted historian, Chair of theprestigious Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch) anda renowned lawyer.

Deraniyagala saw his first turtles and crocodiles atthe age of eight when he lived in the coastal town ofKalutara where his father was District Judge. Thesetwo groups of reptiles later became his chiefherpetological interests, and he published extensivelyon their nesting habits and embryology. His firstherpetological book, and perhaps one of the importantherpetological milestones in the country, is �Tetrapodreptiles of Ceylon vol. 1. Testudinates andCrocodilians� (1939).

Deraniyagala graduated in Natural Sciences Triposfrom Trinity College, Cambridge, proceeding toHarvard for his A.M. degree in Zoology. On his returnto Sri Lanka in 1925, Deraniyagala was appointedSecond Assistant Marine Biologist to the CeylonGovernment, becoming Director of the ColomboMuseum in 1940. He retired from the museumdirectorship in 1963.

During an active period spanning nearly 50 years (1927to 1975), Deraniyagala published nearly 350 titles on

An annotated bibliography of publications on marine turtles of Sri Lanka

Anslem de Silva

15/1 Dolosbage Road, Gampola, Sri LankaEmail: [email protected]

Paulus Edward Pieris DeraniyagalaThis work is dedicated to Paulus Edward Pieris Deraniyagala (1900 - 1976)

anthropology, archaeology, sociology, palaeontologyand zoology (mammals, birds, fish, amphibians andreptiles). Most papers by Deraniyagala were profuselyillustrated with his own watercolours and figures. Infact, there are few aspects of natural history thatDeraniyagala did not publish extensively on.Furthermore, he was a champion boxer and an artist.

In the field of herpetology Deraniyagala publishedbetween 1927 and 1975 over 100 papers on turtles,crocodiles, varanids, lizards, snakes and a few onamphibians. They covered natural history, embryology,palaeontology, comparative morphology and taxonomy.Deraniyagala described over 50 recent and fossilherpetological taxa, all of them reptiles. Paulus EdwardPieris Deraniyagala died on December 1, 1976.

The bibliography: introductory notes

Marine turtles are a threatened group of reptiles in SriLanka. The flesh and eggs of most species are widelyconsumed by people. In addition, their nesting, foragingand feeding grounds are continually being disturbedand altered at an alarming rate. Hence, the presentbibliography attempts to provide a complete referenceto various aspects of marine turtles in Sri Lanka. Thepresent work cites literature published in Western andSinhala languages from 1852 to 2005.

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Selection of references

The criteria used in listing a reference in thisbibliography were if the particular reference(whether scientific, popular, historical, literary, etc.)either referred completely or in part to some aspectof marine turtles of Sri Lanka. This work includescomplete books as well as sections or chapters ofbooks, research papers, periodical articles, abstractsand mimeographed papers. Unpublished theses,dissertations and reports too are listed separatelyunder �unpublished papers� as these are accessibleto researchers. Newspaper articles are excluded.Of the 284 references cited, 215 works are availablein the personal library of the compiler.

Plan of classification and arrangement of thematerial

The references categorised in the bibliography arelisted alphabetically and chronologically. If the dateof publication is not listed it is given as �ND�. Insome papers a brief annotation of the contents aregiven within parenthesis at the end of the reference.

Sources consulted

1. The Library, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya(including Department of Agriculture and theDepartment of Zoology libraries) Sri Lanka.2. Colombo National Museum Library, AlbertCrescent, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.3. Royal Asiatic Society Library, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.

4. Wildlife and Nature Protection Society Library, 86Rajamalwatta Road, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka.5. Dept. of National Archives Library, 7, Reid Avenue,Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.6. Library, Jersey Wildlife Trust, Jersey, UK.7. Library, Centre for Herpetology, Madras CrocodileBank Trust, Tamil Nadu, India.8. Library, Japan Snake Institute, Yabazuka, Gunma,Japan.9. Library, Forest Department, Rajamalwatta Road,Battaramulla, Sri Lanka.10. Library, National Science Foundation, 47 MaitlandPlace, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.11. Library, Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hantana,Kandy, Sri Lanka.12. Compiler�s personal library, 15/1 Dolosbage Road,Gampola, Sri Lanka.13. Library, Turtle Conservation Project, Sri Lanka.

Acknowledgments: I thank Indraneil Das, KraigAdler, Romulus Whitaker, Harry Andrews, ManjulaTiwari, K.R.G Welch, Maren Gaulke, Andreas Nollert,Michihisa Toriba, Lalith Ekanayake, ThushanKapurusinghe, Peter Richardson, Late E.H. Taylor,and W.W.A. Phillips for providing some of the relevantliterature; Kraig Adler for providing the photograph ofP.E.P. Deraniyagala; the library staff of University ofPeradeniya, Royal Asiatic Society, Colombo Museum,Wildlife, Nature Protection Society and the otherinstitutions listed above for making the literatureavailable.

Checklist of marine turtles

(Note: (E) denotes English, (S) denotes Sinhala and(T) denotes Tamil.)

FAMILY: CHELONIIDAE. Kasubu Kulaya (S)Genus: Caretta Rafinesque, 1814. Kasbae Ganaya(S) Species

1. Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758). LoggerheadSea Turtle (E); Olugedi Kasbaeva, KannadiKasbaeva (S)(= spectacled turtle); Perunthalai Amai(T)(= big headed turtle).

Genus: Chelonia Latreille, 1802. Galkasbae Ganaya

(S) Species

2. Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758). Green turtle(E); Gal Kasbaeva (S)(= rock turtle), Mas Kasbaeva(S)(= flesh turtle), Vali Kasbaeva (S)(= sand turtle);Pal Amai (T)(= milk turtle).

Genus: Eretmochelys Fitzinger, 1843. Leli KasbaeGanaya (S) Species

3. Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766).Hawksbill Sea Turtle (E); Pothu Kasbaeva (S)(=scaly turtle), Leli Kasbaeva (S)(= skin turtle) ; NanjaAmai (T)(= poisonous turtle).

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Abeynayake, S.E. 1976. Save the tortoise fromextinction. Loris 14(2): 126.

Abeytissa, N. 1994. Muhudu Kesbewa (Marineturtle). Warana 6(2): 250. (brief note on marineturtles of Sri Lanka; text in Sinhala)

Agastheeapillai, A. & R. Thiagarajan. 1979. Biologyof the green turtle Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus) in theGulf of Mannar and Palk Bay. Journal of MarineBiology Association of India 21 (1 & 2): 45-60.

A.G.R.W. 1968. Olive-backed loggerhead turtle. Loris11(4): 203-204.

Alderton, D. 1988. Turtle & tortoises of the world.Blanford Press, London.

Amarasooriya, D. 1996. Some observations of marineturtle hatcheries in Sri Lanka. In: Proceedings ofthe International conference on the biology &conservation of the amphibians & reptiles of SouthAsia. (Abstracts) pp. 19-20. Amphibia and ReptileResearch Organization of Sri Lanka (ARROS).

Amarasooriya, D. 1998. Marine turtle hatcheries inSri Lanka: their impact on turtle conservation. In:Biology and conservation of the amphibians,reptiles and their habitats in South Asia (ed. A. deSilva), pp. 163-170. Amphibia and Reptile Research

Organization of Sri Lanka (ARROS).

Amarasooriya, D. 2000. A report from NationalAquatic Resources Agency (NARA). Kachhapa 2:11-12.

Amarasooriya, K.D. 2000. Classification of sea turtlenesting beaches of southern Sri Lanka. In: Sea turtlesof the Indo-Pacific: research, management &conservation (eds. N. Pilcher & G. Ismail), pp. 228-237. ASEAN Academic Press, London.

Anonymous. 1876. Officer (an) Late of the CeylonRifles: Ceylon a General Description of the Island,Historical, Physical, Statistical. Containing theMost Recent Information, Vol. 2., pp. 86-200.Chapman & Hall, London. (the preface is signed�H.S.� (Horatio Suckling) see �Horatio JohnSuckling� by John Ferguson Tropical Agriculturist(L.R. Supplement) pp. 7-8)

Anonymous. 1937. Turtle oils from Ceylon. Bulletinof the Imperial Institute of London 35(3): 316-318.

Anonymous. 1942. Turtle flesh causes 3 deaths. Loris2(6): 354.

Anonymous. 1958. Picnickers save turtle. Loris 8(1):56.

Genus: Lepidochelys Fitzinger, 1843. Batu KasbaeGanaya (S) Species

4. Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829).Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (E); Batu Kasbaeva (S)(=dwarf turtle) or Mada Kasbaeva (S)(= mud turtle);Pul Amai (T)(= grass turtle).

Bibliography

Literature Cited

Alder, K. 1989. Contributions to the history of herpetology.SSAR. USA.

Anonymous. 1960. Research work by officers of theNational Museums of Ceylon from 1925 to 1960. SpoliaZeylanica 29(1): 135-147.

Das, I. & A. De Silva. 1996. A directory of herpetologistsin South Asia. Amphibia and Reptile Research Organizationof Sri Lanka. (ARROS). 48 p.

FAMILY: DERMOCHELYIDAE.Genus: Dermochelys Blainville, 1816. Dara KasbaeGanaya (S) Species

5. Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1761).Leatherback Sea Turtle (E); Dara Kasbaeva (S)(=ridge turtle) or Tun Dara Kasbaeva (S)(= three ridgeturtle); Dhoni Amai (T)(= boat turtle).

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Anonymous. 1960. Research work by officers of theNational Museums of Ceylon from 1925 to 1960.Spolia Zeylanica 29(1): 135-147. (includesreferences on marine turtles)

Anonymous. 1962. Save the leathery turtle. Loris9(3): 207.

Anonymous. 1962. Torture of turtles. Loris 9(3): 207.

Anonymous. 1962. Save these sea animals. Loris 9(4):268.

Anonymous. 1968. Baby sea turtles - what greaterattraction for tourists. Newsletter, Wildlife ProtectionSociety of Ceylon 26: 4.

Anonymous. 1972. Ceylon protects all marine turtles.Marine Pollution Bulletin (England) 3(10): 148.

Anonymous. 1972. Legal protection for these localanimals: Notes and observations. Loris 12(6): 315.

Anonymous. 1972. Turtle protection in Sri Lanka. Oryx11(6): 408.

Anonymous. 1973. The turtles and us. Loris 8(1): 8-9. (about consumption of turtle flesh & eggs)

Anonymous. 1973. Ban on sale of turtle eggs andtransport of turtles: Notes and observations. Loris13(1): 47.

Anonymous. 1975. Back to the turtles. Loris 8(5):236.

Anonymous. 1980. Man with live turtles fined: Notesobservations and press cuttings. Loris 15(3): 186.

Anonymous. 1985. Heimat fur schildkroten (Home forturtles). Ein Herz ur Tiere (W. Germany) No.21: 26.

Anonymous. 1987. Sri Lanka: Une maternite pourtortues (A nursery for turtles) TE�LE� loisirs (France)47: 85.

Anonymous. 1996. International HerpetologicalConference in Sri Lanka. Marine Turtle Newsletter73: 35.

Ariyananda, P.L. & S.S.D. Fernando. 1987. Turtleflesh poisoning. The Ceylon Medical Journal 32(4):213-215. (food poisoning due to the consumptionof the flesh of Eretmochelys imbricata)

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Banks, J.D.N. 1972. Turtles galore. Loris 12(5):255-257. (account of turtle egg hatching at Bentota)

Banks, J. & J. Banks. 1976. An encounter with aleatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea. Loris14(1): 46-47. (account of burying turtle eggs andhatching; observes crabs attacking hatchlings)

Banks, J.D.N. 1976. Encounter with a leatherbackturtle. Loris 14(1): 67-68. (leatherback eggs beingrobbed by a porcupine at Bentota)

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Brandstaetter, F. & M. Redi. 1995. An annotated listof the scientific names of the turtles from Sri Lanka.Lyriocephalus 2(1 & 2): 52-55. (etymology ofscientific names)

Brohier, R.L. 1949. Omens. Ceylon Observer Annual1949: 10-14. (dreaming of turtles foretellsaffectionate and pretty bride or groom.)

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Canekeratne, N.C. 1974. Are turtles protected? Loris13(4): 232.

Care For The Wild. 1993. The turtle conservationproject. Care for the Wild News (England) 5: 21.

Cave, H.W. 1908. Tortoise shell comb making: In: Thebook of Ceylon. pp. 84-85. London, Cassell & Co,Ltd.

Chandraratne, R.M.M. 1997. Some reptile bones fromthe Gedige excavation in 1985, the citadel ofAnuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Lyriocephalus 3(2): 7-15.(excavations reveal Lissemys punctata, Melanochelystrijuga and Lepidochelys olivacea, bones suggestingthat these reptiles have been extensively consumedby humans)

Codrington, H.W. 1921. Combs - uses and users. TheCeylon Antiquary and Literary Register 6(3): 154.

Cooray, R. 1998. The Marine turtles in Rekawa:a survey on nesting activities and exploitation. SriLanka Naturalist 11(1 & 2): 1-7.

Currey, D., E. Matthew, A. Thornton, & C. Lonsdale.1994. Report on an investigation into threats tomarine turtles in Sri Lanka and Maldives.Environmental Investigation Agency, London. 28 p.

Das, I. & A. De Silva. 2005. A photographic guideto snakes and other reptiles of Sri Lanka. NewHolland, UK. 144 p.

Dattatri, S. 1982. Sea turtles in Sri Lanka. Hamadryad7(3): 19-20.

Dattatri, S. & D. Samarajeewa. 1982. Beachdevelopment in Sri Lanka. Marine Turtle Newsletter22: 4-5.

Dattatri, S. & J. Vijaya, D. Samarajiva. 1983. Seaturtle survey in southern Sri Lanka. Hamadryad 8(3):15-17.

Dattatri, S. 1984. Herp guide to Sri Lanka.Hamadryad 9(2): 5-18.

David, P. 1994. Liste des reptiles actuels du monde(List of todays reptiles of the world). Chelonii-Dumerilia 1: 7-127.

De Bruin, G.H.P. 1972. Sub marine �kasba� (turtles)Radio Times 24(17): 1, 14.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1927. The reptiles of Ceylon.Ceylon Observer Christmas Number (Colombo): 95-97.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1930. The Testudinata of Ceylon.Spolia Zeylanica 16(1): 43-88.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1932. Scutes of the loggerheadturtle. Spolia Zeylanica 17(1): 46-47.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1932. Frontenelles in thehawksbill turtle. Spolia Zeylanica 17(1): 49-50.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1932. Diameters of turtle eggs.Spolia Zeylanica 17(1): 50.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1932. Notes on the developmentof the leathery turtle, Dermochelys coriacea. SpoliaZeylanica 17(2): 73-102.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1933. The loggerhead turtles(Carettidae) of Ceylon. Spolia Zeylanica 18(1): 61-72.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1934. Some phytogenetic featuresin the leathery turtle, Dermochelys coriacea. SpoliaZeylanica 18(2): 199-206.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1934. Relationship amongloggerhead turtles (Carettidae). Spolia Zeylanica18(2): 207-209.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1934. Corselet reduction in someTestudinates. Spolia Zeylanica 18(2): 211-229.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1936. Some postnatal changesin the leathery turtle, Dermochelys coriacea. SpoliaZeylanica 19(3): 225-239.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1936. A further comparativestudy of Caretta caretta gigas. Spolia Zeylanica19(3): 241-251.

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Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1936. The nesting habit ofleathery turtle, Dermochelys coriacea. SpoliaZeylanica 19(3): 331-336.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1937. Some miocene and upperShivalik vertebrates from Ceylon. Spolia Zeylanica20(2): 191-192.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1939. The Tetrapod reptiles ofCeylon. Vol. 1 Testudinates and Crocodilians. TheDirector, Colombo Museum; London, Dulau and Co.,Ltd. 412 pp.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1941. The nesting of the leatheryturtle, Dermochelys coriacea (Linne). Proc. Linn.Soc. London 153 session 121-123.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1943. Subspecies formation inloggerhead turtles (Carettidae). Spolia Zeylanica23(2): 79-92.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1944. Photographs of nestingleathery turtle. Spolia Zeylanica. 24(1): 57-78.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1945. Some sub specificcharacters of the loggerhead, Caretta caretta gigas.Spolia Zeylanica 24(2): 95-98.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1946. Marginal scutes in racesof the brown-red loggerhead, Caretta caretta Linne.Spolia Zeylanica 24(2): 195-196.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1949. Some vertebrate animalsof Ceylon, Vol. 1. Colombo, Ceylon NationalMuseums.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1951. Mass movements in somemarine turtles and cuttle fish. Spolia Zeylanica. 26(1):16.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1953. A coloured atlas of somevertebrates from Ceylon. Vol. 2. Tetrapod reptilia.Colombo, Ceylon National Museums. 101 p.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1961. Some of Linne�s reptilesand mammals from Ceylon and elsewhere that are inSweden. Spolia Zeylanica 29(2): 195.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1961. Some little knowncharacters of the two subspecies of Lepidochelysolivacea (Eschscholtz). Spolia Zeylanica 29(2): 196-210.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1964. A comparison of thecephalic scalation of Dermochelys coriacea with thatof the Cheloniidae (Reptilia Testudinata).Senckenbergiana Biologica (West Germany) 45:349-352.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1965. A sanctuary for turtles, thedugong whales and dolphins in the Indian and Southernoceans. Loris 10(4): 246-247, 250.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1969. Some of the earliestvertebrates of Ceylon. Loris 11(5): 235-237.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1969. A Miocene vertebratefaunae from the Malu member of Ceylon. SpoliaZeylanica 31(2): 1-20.

Deraniyagala, P.E.P. 1971. Does flatback turtle visitCeylon? Loris 12(4): 206-207.

De Silva, A. 1994. An introduction to the herpetofaunaof Sri Lanka. Lyriocephalus 1(1 & 2): 3-19.

De Silva, A. 1995. A proposed action plan for theconservation and management of the Testudines ofSri Lanka (Abstracts) In: International Congressof Chelonian Conservation, Gonferon, France,July 1995, p.38.

De Silva, A. 1995. The reptiles of Sri Lanka, Achecklist and common names part 1: Testudines,Crocodylia and Lacertillia. Lyriocephalus 1(1 & 2):25-33.

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Environmental Facility Progamme. 28 p.

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De Silva, A. 2001. The herpetofauna of Sri Lanka:A historical overview, current status withchecklists. Amphibia and Reptile ResearchOrganization of Sri Lanka. 91 p.

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Ekanayake, E.M.L., K.B. Ranawana & T.Kapurusinghe. in press. The average egg count,egg weight and diameter of the five species of turtlesnesting on the Rekawa beach in southern Sri Lanka.In: Proceedings of the Twenty-Third AnnualSymposium on Sea Turtle Biology andConservation, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2003.

Ekanayake, L. & T. Kapurusinghe. 2000. Thenesting frequency of marine turtles on the Rekawaturtle rookery in southern Sri Lanka. Abs. Reportof the South and Southeast Asian Regional Sessionof the Global Bio diversity Forum. Colombo, SriLanka.

Frazier, J. (ND). Biology and Conservation of seaturtles in the Indian Ocean. 28 pages and maps.

Gunawardana, P.S. 1986. National sea turtlesurvey progress report. Unpubl. report for theNational Aquatic Resources and DevelopmentAgency, Colombo.

Hewavisenthi, S. 1991. Some aspects of artificialhatchery management practices of marine turtles

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in Sri Lanka. Master�s thesis, The Open Universityof Sri Lanka, Colombo.

Jayawardhana, C. & R. Pereira. 1989. Sea turtle nesting in Yala National Park Block 1 for the years1981-1984 & 1988. (8 page unpublished manuscript)

Jayawardhana, C. 1995. Draft Action Plan for seaturtles. (10 page unpublished manuscript)

Kapurusinghe. T. & E.M.L. Ekanayaka. in press.Ecosystem approach in community based turtleconservation in Sri Lanka. Proceedings of theTwenty-Fourth Annual Symposium on Sea TurtleBiology and Conservation, Costa Rica. 2004.

Kapurusinghe. T. & E.M.L. Ekanayaka. in press.Present status of marine turtles and theirConservation in Sri Lanka. In: Proceedings of theTwenty-Fourth Annual Symposium on Sea TurtleBiology and Conservation, Costa Rica. 2004.

Richardson, P. 1995. The Marine Turtle Hatcheriesof Sri Lanka. Care for the Wild, Turtle ConservationProject (Unpublished Document), 14pp.

Richardson, P. 1996. The marine turtle hatcheries of Sri Lanka: A TCP review and assessment ofcurrent hatchery practices and recommendationsfor their improvements. TCP report submitted forDWLC and NARA.

Salm, R.V. 1976. Critical marine habitats of thenorthern Indian Ocean. Contract report to theIUCN, Morges, Switzerland.

Salm, R.V. 1975. Summary report on existing andpotential marine parks and reserves around Sri Lanka,Southeast and Western India and Pakistan, In:Regional meeting on marine parks and reserves,Teheran, Iran 6-10 March, IUCN, Morges,Switzerland.

World Wildlife Fund is calling on fishermen, geartechnologists, engineers, students, inventors andanyone with a creative flair to submit their ideasfor fishing gear designs that will reduce bycatch �the accidental catch and related deaths of marinemammals, birds, sea turtles and non-target fishspecies in fishing gears such as nets and longlines� to the Second International Smart GearCompetition. The competition will award a $25,000grand prize and two $5,000 runner-up prizes to thedesigns judged to be the most practical, cost-effective methods for reducing bycatch. To enterthe contest, go to www.smartgear.org for moredetails, rules and entry instructions. All entries aredue by March 15, 2006. Entries must be submittedin English.

Conventional fishing gear often does not allow usersto selectively target their catch. As a result, non-target fish species, marine mammals, birds, seaturtles and non-target fish species are caught andsometimes killed. More than 20 million metric tons

� approximately 25 percent of what is caught inthe course of fishing each year � is thrown overthe sides of fishing boats dead or dying. Bycatchis the leading threat to many species of endangeredmarine mammals, sea turtles and sea birds aroundthe world.

Last year, WWF awarded three new practicalsolutions: a system for keeping longlines away fromsea turtles by a former high-school biology teacherand commercial fisherman; changes to the chemicalproperties of fishing ropes and nets by a NorthAmerican team; and modified trawls to reducebycatch of undersized shrimp and fish by a team ofIndian scientists familiar with the challenges ofchanging fishing practices and technologies in adeveloping country. The winner of the WWFInternational Smart Gear Competition will bedecided by a diverse set of judges, includingfishermen, researchers, engineers and fisheriesmanagers from all over the world.

International Smart Gear Competition

Announcements

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Breaking the record of submitted abstracts

At the time of writing this note (end of November2005) we are only four months away from theobject of our efforts, the 26th Sea Turtle Symposium.I always knew that the Mediterranean was popularbut I had not realized quite how much; we havesurpassed all previous Symposia in the number ofsubmitted abstracts. At the closure of the deadlinefor abstract submissions we had received 501abstracts! Thank you all for your submissions. Ofcourse, many of the �prefer oral� submissions willhave to go as posters, as the oral time slots arelimited and we will try to avoid, as much as wecan, concurrent sessions. We shall give, however,enough time for poster sessions and interaction withposter authors. The Program Committee has aheavy task to accomplish but I am sure they will dofine.

Schedule and Program

• On 3 and 4 April we shall have the standardregional meetings (Africa, IOSEA,Mediterranean, RETOMALA, WIDECAST)and associated workshops. For moreinformation on the regional meetings you cancontact the respective coordinators (theircontact details are available on the website).

• On the main days of the Symposium (5-7April), besides the Standard Sessions(announced in the website) and the two SpecialSessions (Turtles and Climate Change, andEcological Roles of Sea Turtles), we arescheduling a special session in memory ofPeter Lutz. In this 3-hour session we will havesome very important contributions on sea turtlebiology. The organization of the Panel

The 26th International Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation(Island of Crete, Greece, 3-8 April 2006)

UPDATE ON PREPARATIONS

Dimitris Margaritoulis

President, International Sea Turtle SocietyARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, Solomou 57,

GR-10432 Athens, Greece (Email: [email protected])

Discussion �Cooperative Approaches toFinding Sea Turtle Bycatch Solutions inLongline Fisheries� will provide the opportunityfor those working with turtles at sea to beinformed on recent findings. There will alsobe a special presentation by the IUCN�sMarine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG) onvarious issues rendering a global interest.

• On Saturday (8 April) we schedule in themorning the MTSG Annual meeting (0900-1200), and in the afternoon the FreshwaterTurtle and Tortoise Session (1300-1800).

Translation: We aspire to be able to providesimultaneous translation mainly to French, for ourFrench-speaking colleagues from Africa, but also,if possible, Spanish.

Fund-raising: Our fund-raising efforts are goingfairly well. We have already registered somegenerous donors as the National Marine FisheriesService, the Western Pacific Regional FisheryManagement Council, Florida Power and Light, theBern Convention, the UNEP/Mediterranean ActionPlan. Further, we have serious hopes of gettingfunds from the Disney Animal Kingdom, theNational Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the RAC/SPA in Tunisia, the Hellenic Centre for MarineResearch in Greece, and several other Europeanand Mediterranean sources. For their help, adviceand efforts regarding fundraising so far I wouldlike to thank: Roderic Mast, Thane Wibbels, NicolasPilcher, Irene Kinan, Jeffrey Seminoff, EarlPossardt, Barbara Schroeder, Sheryan Epperly,Pieter Borkent, Eladio Galiano, Marco Barbieri,Paul Misfud and Maria Valerga. I would like tonote here that ARCHELON, the Symposium local

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host organization, has drafted an agreement withThanos Belalidis, the Symposium Coordinator, toundertake fund-raising within Greece for theSymposium. Hopefully, we will succeed in gettingsome much-needed funds from the host country.

Several companies and organizations have alreadypromised to sponsor a coffee-break or part of it.We thank them very much. We need some moresponsors. I remind you that one coffee-break for600 people will cost about 2,700 Euro (about 3,300USD at the time of writing this) but we can do withless by splitting a coffee-break among severalsponsors. Sponsors� names will be acknowledgedon site, unless they do not wish so. Please, considerthis need and do your best to locate potentialsponsors to cover this heavy Symposium expense.

Booking of Rooms: Although we are far fromthe room reservation deadline yet (1 March 2006),it is advisable to reserve your room now, as roomswill be reserved on a �first-in/first-served� basis.Please note that you can extend your stay at thehotel under the same prices. The hotel has a greatflexibility in type of rooms and/or bungalows invarious prices and configurations. You can do yourreservation through the hotel�s websitewww.capsis.gr/seaturtle/index.htm. Please fill in allthe requested items in the Hotel Booking Form.Make sure that you provide also the names of yourroommates. If you encounter any difficulties, pleasecontact Georgia Vlahou [email protected] orThanos Belalidis [email protected].

Pre-Symposium Trips: For those of you whowill have a stop-over in Athens we have some ideason one-day trips to famous archaeological sites likeDelfi and Mycenae. You can find these options byvisiting www.astoria.gr/seaturtle/index.htm. Pleasecontact them directly for any arrangements thatsuit you

Registration and ISTS Membership: About 600people have registered early (before 16 November2005). I thank them all, especially those who havepaid their fees because this helps us very much toproceed with preparations. You must register toattend the Symposium, and you can do thatpreferably through the Symposium website http://

iconferences.seaturtle.org/, where you can find allnecessary information. The early-registrationdeadline has passed and now the registration fee is$150 for non-students and $75 for students (incl.membership to the ISTS). Please note thatregistration fees are higher if not accompaniedby membership dues to the ISTS.

If, however, you prefer to mail your payments,please follow the instructions below:

Ask for a Registration Form from the addressbelow (either through e-mail, fax or ordinary post)and, after you fill it, please mail it to the postaladdress below together with a cheque (in Euro,only), payable to the Sea Turtle ProtectionSociety of Greece.

ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Societyof GreeceAttn. Chrysanthe OtzakoglouSolomou 57, GR-104 32 Athens, GreeceTel./Fax: +30-210-5231342,E-mail: [email protected]

Please send the Registration Form and the chequeby using either registered mail or private courier.Do not forget to include the cheque together withthe Registration Form. You will receive aconfirmation as soon as the above have beenreceived.

During your on-line (or postal) registration you willhave the option of paying also for tickets to theWelcome Cocktail ($ 20) and the Farewell Party($45 for non-students and $25 for students).

Proceedings: In this Symposium, we will makean attempt to have the Proceedings ready on-site.For this we shall need your help as follows: Theauthors of the accepted initial abstracts (250 wordsmax) will have the opportunity to modify and/orextend their abstracts up to 500 words (withoutgraphics or tables). This can be done on-line,through the Symposium website, by 15 February2006 at the latest. Those unable to access theSymposium website can send their extended ormodified abstracts to Theoni Karkoulia, eitherthrough e-mail to [email protected] or

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by registered mail (or private courier) toARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Societyof Greece, Attn. Theoni Karkoulia, Solomou 57,GR-10432 Athens, Greece. In case you use thepost or courier, please have your abstract as aMicrosoft Word file, on a diskette (please avoidsending a hard copy). In case of no submission ofan extended abstract, the original abstract (ifaccepted by the Program Committee) will bepublished in the Proceedings.

Cancellations: If you have a reason to cancelyour oral or poster presentation, please inform boththe Program Chair Dr. Brendan [email protected] and the ProgramCoordinator Dr. Kartik Shanker [email protected].

Post-Symposium Trips: We have arranged witha local travel agency some guided trips on Crete,all after the end of the Symposium. These trips,combining nature walks and archaeological/culturalvisits, will be held between 8 and 10 April 2006. Youmay find detailed information at: www.legrand.gr/seaturtle/index.htm. Please, contact the agencydirectly for any arrangements you might wish. Incase you encounter any difficulty or problem, pleasecontact the Symposium Coordinator ThanosBelalidis [email protected].

Vendor & Display Tables: At the time I amwriting this (end of November 2005) we haverented 15 tables. I thank all those who have alreadydone so. The Vendor Table area is limited. If youare thinking of renting a table, please do so as soonas possible. You can do this through the symposiumwebsite. For further information, please, contactAliki Panagopoulou [email protected].

Visas: You can find which nationalities need a visato enter Greece at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs�website: www.mfa.gr/english/foreign policy/eu/visainf.html. Please, apply for a visa well in advanceto the Consulates of Greece in your country(contact details can be found at: www.mfa.gr/english/the ministry/missions/). If you encounterdifficulties in obtaining a visa, please contact theSymposium Coordinator Thanos [email protected] explaining the problemand providing your full personal details; we will tryto help you but shall need plenty of time for that.

Communications: Please do not neglect to visitregularly the Symposium website http://iconferences.seaturtle.org/ for updating information.If you have any questions, please contact theSymposium Coordinator Thanos [email protected].

The Burning Issues for global sea turtle conservation, 2006:The hazards and urgent priorities in sea turtle conservation

Roderic B. Mast1, Brian J. Hutchinson2 & Nicolas J. Pilcher4

1 - Co-Chair, IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group, Conservation International, Center for AppliedBiodiversity Science, 1919 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 USA

Email: [email protected] Program Officer, IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group, Address as above

Email: [email protected] - Co-Chair, IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group, Marine Research Foundation, 136 Lorong

Pokok Seraya 2, Taman Khidmat, 88450 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MalaysiaEmail: [email protected]

The World Conservation Union (IUCN), throughits Red List of Threatened Species, provides aglobal overview of the degree to which species ofplants and animals are at risk of extinction. Allseven species of sea turtles are listed on the RedList as either Endangered or Critically Endangered,

with the exception of the flatback turtle (listed asData Deficient). The Burning Issues describedherein endeavor to go a step further than the global-scale Red List, with the intent to encourage on-the-ground conservation action in the places whereexperts agree they are most urgent and can have

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the largest impact in preventing extinctions. Thisdocument was prepared by members of the IUCNMarine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG). Theseexperts, hailing from several countries andrepresenting knowledge of all the world�s majorsea turtle stocks, gathered in Washington, DC inAugust 2005. The MTSG is a group of over 300experts from 70+ countries that work to assure avision of �marine turtles fulfilling theirecological roles on a healthy planet where allpeoples value and celebrate their continuedsurvival.�

The Top Ten List draws attention to some of thesea turtle populations that are most in need of urgentconservation attention, considering one or more ofthe following criteria: recent precipitous declines,small population size, high degree of threat, orirreplaceability. It is a dynamic assessment thatattempts to include all the major regions where seaturtles live, and it is based on best-available dataand expert opinion as its principle resources. Thelist is reviewed annually to assure its accuracy andtimeliness. It is part of a larger priority-settingprocess for sea turtle research and conservationthat also includes a list of Critical Research Needsin recognition that for many areas of the world andpopulations of sea turtles, we simply do not haveenough data to accurately assess urgency anddegree of threat. Moreover, the Burning IssuesAssessment identifies herein the five primaryhazards to sea turtles worldwide.

The Top Ten List

• Leatherbacks in the Pacific• Olive Ridleys in Orissa, India• Kemp�s Ridleys throughout their range

(Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic)• Loggerheads in the Pacific• Green turtles in the Mediterranean• All sea turtles throughout Southeast Asia• Loggerheads in the Atlantic• Hawksbill and green turtles in the

Caribbean• Green and leatherback turtles in the

Eastern Atlantic (and their SW Atlanticforaging grounds)

• Hawksbills in the Indian Ocean

Background Information on The Top Ten List

Leatherbacks in the Pacific:Current Status � Major populations in Mexico,Costa Rica and Malaysia have declined more than90% in less than 20 years.Causes � Fisheries bycatch (gillnets, driftnets,longline fishing), long-term egg collection

Olive Ridleys in Orissa, India:Current Status � A minimum of 10,000 adults havebeen killed each year for the past 10 years.Causes � Trawl fisheries bycatch and coastaldevelopment

Kemp�s Ridleys throughout their range(Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic):Current Status � Kemp�s Ridleys have declinedmore than 95% in less than 50 years. They livewithin a limited geographic range and have a smallpopulation size, making them especially vulnerable.Causes � Egg take, bycatch in trawl fisheries

Loggerheads in the Pacific:Current Status � Nesting in the Pacific (principallyJapan and Australia) has declined by more than90% over the last 25 years.Causes � Fisheries bycatch (gillnets, longlines,trawls and pound nets), take of eggs and turtles

Green turtles in the Mediterranean:Current Status � In the major rookeries, located inTurkey, populations have declined by 60-90% in 17years.Causes � Coastal development, fisheries bycatch,historical take of meat for export

All sea turtles in Southeast Asia:Current Status � Hawksbills, green turtles, and oliveridleys have all suffered substantial declines innesting in this region.Causes � Direct take of adults and eggs for foodand shell trade, fisheries bycatch (trawls, gillnets,pound nets, longlines)

Loggerheads in the Atlantic:Current Status � At the major rookery at ArchieCarr Refuge in Florida, USA, nesting has declinedby more than 50% in the last five years.

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Causes � Fisheries bycatch (trawls, gillnets andlonglines), coastal development

Hawksbill and green turtles in the Caribbean:Current Status � Greens have declined by morethan 95% in the last 400 years. The loss of a numberof rookeries has significantly reduced geneticdiversity of greens, and current take of adult greenturtles is greater than 11,000 per year in Nicaragua.Hawksbill nesting has declined by more than 60%at the largest rookery, located in Mexico, in the lastfive years.Causes � Directed take for meat and eggs

Greens and leatherbacks in the Eastern Atlantic(and their SW Atlantic foraging grounds):Current Status � Globally significant nesting andforaging populations are virtually unstudied andthreatened by substantial take due to extreme localpoverty. Leatherbacks from Atlantic Africannesting beaches also face great pressure fromfisheries off the coast of south America.Causes � Direct take for meat, eggs and products,and fisheries bycatch

Hawksbills in the Indian Ocean:Current Status - Trade statistics going back morethan 100 years indicate massive declines of up to95% in hawksbill populations, specifically inMadagascar, Seychelles, & Sri Lanka.Causes - Historic international trade in hawksbillshell, especially between the mid-1960s and early1990s greatly reduced the sizes of hawksbillpopulations. Directed take of meat, eggs, and/orshell continues throughout the region. Morerecently, coastal development of nesting beachesposes an increasing threat to nesting populations.

Critical Research Needs

Recognizing that the aforementioned �Top Ten� isbased on best-available information and drawn fromexpert opinion, it must be noted that there are manyareas of the world for which very little data exist.As such, it is critical that greater attention also bepaid to research on little known sea turtlepopulations and regions, including (but not limitedto): African loggerheads, hawksbills, olive ridleys;

Kemp�s ridleys in the Atlantic; leatherbacks andhawksbills in the southeast Pacific; loggerheadsand green turtles in Oman; hawksbills in Iran;loggerheads in Libya; hawksbills in the easternPacific; leatherbacks in the southern Indian Ocean;olive ridleys in the western Atlantic; flatbacks,throughout their range; green turtles in the easternPacific; hawksbills in the eastern Pacific.

Hazards to Sea Turtles

The following are the broad hazards that arepresently resulting in declines and local extinctionsof sea turtles, or are in one way or another slowingor preventing sea turtle recovery.

Fisheries Impacts: Sea turtles virtually everywhereare impacted by fisheries � especially by longlines,gill nets, and trawls. The most severe of theseimpacts are bycatch mortality, habitat destructionand food web changes.

Coastal Development: Sea turtle habitats aredegraded and destroyed by coastal development.This includes shoreline and seafloor alterations,such as nesting beach degradation, dredging, vesseltraffic, construction, and alteration of vegetation.

Directed Take: Sea turtles and their eggs are killedby people throughout the world for food, and forproducts including oil, leather and shell.

Pollution and Pathogens: Marine pollution, includingplastics, discarded fishing gear, petroleum by-products, and other debris directly impact seaturtles through ingestion and entanglement. Lightpollution disrupts nesting behavior and hatchlingorientation, leading to hatchling mortality. Chemicalpollutants can weaken sea turtles� immune systems,making them susceptible to pathogens.

Global Warming: Global warming may impactnatural sex ratios of hatchlings, increase thefrequency of extreme weather events, and raisethe likelihood of disease outbreaks among seaturtles. It will result in loss of nesting beaches andcause other alterations to critical sea turtle habitatsand basic oceanographic processes.

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During the IUCN World Conservation Congress in2004, we identified the need for a forum wherebycatch issues could be considered at an ecological,multi-species level rather than on a case-by-casebasis. We recognised that several bycatch reductionmeasures are already in place, but noted that therewas insufficient communication and collaborationamong the various species groups impacted bylongline fisheries, and that opportunities might existfor cross-group information sharing andcollaboration. The workshop was intended as aforum to:

· Exchange knowledge on bycatch problems andmitigation techniques among four key speciesgroups (sea turtles, seabirds, cetaceans, sharks);

· Identify conflicts/mutual benefits of mitigationgears and fishing strategies;

· Share knowledge on the spatial-temporaloverlap of distributions of these species;

· Identify needs, priorities and opportunities forcollaborative mitigation research; and,

· Define a priority global agenda to create asignificant and measurable reduction in longlinebycatch.

The workshop held at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah,Malaysia from 26 to 30 September 2005 broughttogether marine resource specialists composed ofmanagers, policy makers, scientists, NGOs, IGOs,industry representatives and fishers, from 14countries and sharing a wealth of global experience,who worked to identify, develop, and recommendapplicable and integrated solutions to reduceinteractions of birds, mammals, turtles and sharkswith pelagic longline fisheries.

The technical report includes commonalities,synergies and conflicts between species groups and

mitigation measures for target (and non-target)species, through the use of a comparative matrix,and identifies criteria for evaluating trade-offs inthe application of bycatch mitigation methods. Ithighlights the potential for the use of risk-basedmethods for assessing i) bycatch reduction prioritiesand ii) the multi-species effects of bycatch reductionmethods and strategies, and suggests means ofmonitoring and evaluating mitigation efforts withrespect to performance indicators and adaptivemanagement approaches, including timingconsiderations. The outcomes highlight researchpriorities including filling data gaps, and promisingnew mitigation methods and strategies aimed atraising awareness of multi-species data needs, toencourage governments and industry to collectstandardised multi-species data in all observerprograms. The Technical Report is envisioned toform the basis of a �roadmap� or plan of actionwith regard to multi-species bycatch mitigation.

A second key outcome was a preliminarymathematical model based on existing mitigationmeasures and intended to assist fisheries managersin decision making. The model is a process throughwhich decision-makers can determine the toppriorities for mitigation, both in terms of the bycatchspecies and the mitigation options, and combinationsthereof at a multi-species level. The model requiresan up front determination of the species beingimpacted by a given fishery, which are thenassigned �conservation values� or some form of riskassessment weighting based on existing criteria. Alist of all potential bycatch mitigation measures isthen assembled, and a matrix drawn up of thepotential positive or negative impact of any givenmeasure on each species or species group. Themodel then assigns weights to species value, factorsthese against mitigation measures, and prioritisesthe top mitigation measures.

Hook, Line and Bycatch: Settingthe agenda for mitigation of bycatch in longline fisheries

Nicolas J. Pilcher1 and Roderic B. Mast2

1 - Co-Chair, IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group, Marine Research Foundation, 136 LorongPokok Seraya 2, Taman Khidmat, 88450 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Email: [email protected] - Co-Chair, IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group, Conservation International, Center for Applied

Biodiversity Science, 1919 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 USAEmail: [email protected]

Kartik ShankerCentre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, and

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bangalore, IndiaEmail: [email protected]

Editor

Sali J. Bache University of Tasmania, Australia

John G. FrazierConservation & Research Center,

Smithsonian Institution, USA

Matthew H. GodfreyNorth Carolina Wildlife Resources

Commission, USA

Mark HamannJames Cook University, Australia

Jeanne A. MortimerIsland Conservation Society Seychelles,

Seychelles

Nicolas J. PilcherMarine Research Foundation, Sabah, Malaysia

Pankaj SekhsariaKalpavriksh, Pune, India

Country Representatives

IndiaB.C. Choudhury

Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India

BangladeshS.M.A. Rashid

CARINAM, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Sri LankaThushan Kapurusinghe

Turtle Conservation Project, Sri Lanka

Webmasters Editorial Assistants

Karthik RamUniversity of California, Davis, USA

Michael CoyneDuke University, USA

Aarthi SridharSonya SankaranSamuel Thomas

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), India

Cover Design : ECOTONE, Chennai

Printed by : Lotus Printers Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore

Cover photograph : Anslem de Silva, “Tortoise-shell” ornaments made from hawksbill scutes

from Sri Lanka

Editorial Board


www.atree.org


www.atree.org

CONTENTS

JANUARY 2006

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