Marine Turtles in Bahrain Khawla Al Muhannadi President of Environment Friends Society.

Marine Turtles in Bahrain

Khawla Al Muhannadi President of Environment Friends Society

Glossary

• Fasht : Reef• Fasht Al Adhim, Fasht Al Jarim: Names of areas of

coral reef in Bahrain.• Environment Friends Society (EFS): Bahraini NGO

very active in environmental public awareness and as a pressure group.

• The Commission: The Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and WildLife (Governmental Agency)

• BCSR: Bahrain Center for Studies and Scientific Research

• Sulhuf: an NGO Project for saving Marine Turtles

Source of Information

• Literature: Limited

• NGO findings: Sulhuf Campaign– Internal Reports, Press Releases, Interviews– (Fishermen, government officials,

researchers)

• Limited Interest in turtles

Status of turtles: Literature

• 1Two species of turtle were recorded in the Regional Water of Bahrain:– the Green turtle Chelonia mydas, – and the Hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys

imbricata. • 2One other species mentioned in old literature

Loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta

1. (Vousden, 1988; Miller et al., 1989; Bell, 2001) in (AlZayani, 2006)

2. (Gallgher, 1971) in (Basson et al., 1981)


• 1985 : Fishing Log Scheme (shrimp trawl fishery data)

• 1995 to 1998: The Meteorology and Environmental Protection Administration (MEPA) conducted a survey on the distribution of sea turtles in the western Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea.

• This survey found two species of turtle in the Gulf, the green turtle Chelonia mydas, and the Hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata.

• They were both classified as endangered species in the 1996 IUCN Red Data Book, for Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

(Miller, 1989 )in (AlZayani, 2006)

Status of turtles: NGO’s Reports

• Sighting of Turtles– More often dead than alive– Alive: Mainly juveniles

• If Caught:– Freed and let back to the sea

– Taken Home– Sold in the market (US$ 40)– Killed

EFS, 2005


• No Records of nesting of turtles in Bahrain– Arial Survey 1975-1979 (Fish, Shrimp)– Researchers– GDPMR

• Fishermen– Nesting was witnessed in several occasions

(Last observation 12 years ago)



• Nesting:– Sighting in Mashtan, Umjaileed, Al-Mueteridh, Juazer

Al- Daar

• Sighting (Alive)– Fasht al adhim(juvenile) ,

– Getat jaradeh(juvenile) ,

– Fasht el jarim (bigger),

– Jabali, mashtan , el meteridh ,tqhaileb and abuthur triangle (bigger) tens

EFS, 2005


GEOMATIC, 2005

Threats: NGO’s Reports

• Continuous dredging and reclamation and its impacts on marine habitats

• By catch in Shrimp trawling (Abdulgader, 2000)

• Fishermen attitudes: Aggressive attitude towards turtles

• Fast boats• Lack of awareness and link towards marine

turtles• Food?• Plastic Bags?

EFS, 2005

Existing Laws: Direct

• Decree (2) year 2002 . Article 19:• It is not allowed to catch larvae or fingerlings of marine

fishes the size of which less than the size permitted. It is also not allowed to catch turtles, seals,

sea cows or any other sea mammals or abuse their settlement areas along the coastline of the Kingdom or in the fishing waters.

Existing Laws: Direct

• Decree (2) year 2002 .– Section 6:Punishment: Article 33:b

Imprisonment for a period not exceeding a month and a fine not less than three hundred dinnars and not exceeding one thousand dinnars or with either of the two punishment

Existing Laws: In-Direct

The Charter :

The Constitute

Environmental Law 1996

EIA

Marine Laws (starting 1981)Membership in ROPME, CITES, Unified Law for

the Protection of Wildlife Species (GCC), Bon Convention for Migratory Species

laws

• Limited Enforcement

• No clear mechanism of action/reactions

• The power of the authority (legally)

Ongoing Conservation Projects

• Gov. (The General Directorate of Marine Resources)• NGO : Environment Friends Society and the EAPFA

Sulhuf Campaign

• Research and Study Firms (BCSR, AGU, UOB)

Ongoing Conservation Projects:Government

• Old study implying relationship between shrimp trawling and turtles (Abdulader, 2000)

• Modifying the shrimp nets (BRD =By catch Reduction Device)

– Local experimental nets (starting 2000)– Bilateral with KSA (2001)– Regional through Fisheries Commission of the

FAO (2003, 2004).– Preparation of a National Plan

GDPMR, 2006 ; BCSR, 2006

Ongoing Conservation Projects:Government/ Research Center

• FAO + UNEP (GEF)– The "Reduction of environmental impact from tropical

shrimp trawling" project is a global project wth 12 participating countries and 1 intergovernmental fisheries body.

BCSR, 2006 ; DGPMR, 2006


• The Study of Abundant and Distribution of Turtles and Dugongs in Bahraini Water

• Started 2004 – For 18 months (originally)

• MOU : GCPEMW and BCSR

BCSR, 2006 ; DGPMR, 2006


•the resulting distribution of sea turtles, categorized into three thematic areas, representing the recorded density of animals as high, medium, and low (Highest # of recorded species = 3, medium # of recorded species = 2, low # of recorded species No recorded species = 0).

Al-Zayani, 2003


•Recent Helicopter survey + Zalaq Fishermen recorded sigting of turtles in Western coast (SULHUF, 2006)

Al-Zayani, 2003

NGO’s Initiative

• The National Campaign for the Protection Of Marine Turtles : SULHUF Campaign Begins August 2005

• Environmental Alliance for the Protection

• of Fasht Al Adhim (EAPFA) = Environment Friends Society, Fishermen Union, The National Society for Marine Hobbies

NGO’s Initiative

• Need and Justification– EFS spotted and kept

an injured sea turtle but failed to find an expert in Bahrain to be able to treat it

NGO’s Initiative

• Need and Justification– EFS found sea turtles sold in the market– EFS found injured sea turtles in traps

NGO’s Initiative

• Need and Justification– EFS, FMU and NSMH

found (many times) dead and injured (mainly dead) turtles in the sea and on the shore during shrimp catching period (Aug – Dec)

NGO’s Initiative

• Need and Justification– From structured and semi structured

interviews with old fishermen and sailormen, EFS believes there may be unrecorded nesting of turtles on Bahraini Islands.

– EAPFA believes strongly that Marine Turtles are in great risk

NGO’s Initiative

• Need and Justification– Part of EAPFA

Campaign for the Protection of FASHT Al Adhim

NGO’s Initiative• Mission: Protection of Marine Turtles in Bahrain

Waters• Objectives:

– Monitoring and Recording Sightings of Marine Turtles (Dead and Alive) in Bahraini Waters

– Building baseline data of the distribution and status of Sea Turtles

– Collecting all existing literature, reports and findings and building a databank on sea turtles

– Coordinating and joining efforts with NGOs and Regional Organizations in the area

NGO’s Initiative

Sulhuf

الحملة الوطنية لحماية ورصد السالحف البحرية

التكتل البيئي لحماية فشت العظم

NGO’s Initiative

• Steps Taken– Media Campaign

Integrated in Marine Conservation

NGO’s Initiative

• Steps Taken– Meetings– Awareness

NGO’s Initiative• Steps Taken

– Meetings– Awareness

NGO’s Initiative

Involvement

NGO’s Initiative

• Steps Taken– Capacity Building

using limited Resources (We put all the information we have together and wrote our own reports, articles, stories and put together lectures and seminars and educated out volunteers first then the publish starting with the media

people)

الحملة الوطنية لحماية ورصد السالحف البحرية

التكتل البيئي لحماية فشت العظم

Awareness

Bilateral and Regional Plans

• Testing the modified nets (KSA, Region )

• Bahrain currently is preparing for joining IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU

• NGOs established communications with NGOs and Researchers in the area as a base for a regional project.

Gaps and Challenges• Destruction of important marine habitats for turtles (reclamation and

dredging)• Lack of baseline data of turtle population, distribution, and status• Lack of studies on impact of on-going Megaprojects on the Arabian

Gulf on marine turtles and their habitats• Lack of protected marine dedicated areas• Shortage of funding to research and studies• Resistance from local fishermen to the use o the modified nets• Limited Utilization of NGOs • No detailed mechanism and set of steps for putting the law in action• Lack of Intra- and Inter- Cooperation and coordination on regional

level• Lack of Follow-up monitoring

EFS, 2005; Al Zayani, 2003; Hamann, et al.; 2006

Recommendation

• Urgent efforts towards marine habitat protection• Mandatory inclusion, regarding sea turtles, in the EIA

study of any new marine project or extension of a project

• Cooperation between Sulhuf and GDPMR regarding RBD.• Adaptation and support of the NGOs initiative: The

National Campaign for Protecting Turtles (Suhuf)• “Abundance and Distribution Of Dugongs and Sea

Turtles in Bahraini Water” Study should create a partnership with NGOs who are in this field.

• Link to existing projects in the region• Regional Combined Initiatives

Source of Information

• BCSR– Dr. Mohammed Al Romaidh– Dr. Adel Al Zayani (left)

– Dr. Ibrahim Abdulgader

• DPMR– Mr. Jassim Al Qasir

• Fishermen Union

• Sulhuf

List Of References• Abdulqader, E.A.(2000 ). Turtle Incidences in Shrimp Trawl Nets During the 1997-

1998 Shrimp Season in Bahrain Waters. Asian Fisheries Science 13:187-296. Philippines.

• Al-Zanyani, A. K. (2003). The Selection of Areas (MPA’s): A Model for The Kingdom of Bahrain. PhD Thesis Centre for Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, UK.

• GEOMATEC, BCSR 2006. Marine Environmental Geographic Information System (MARGIS II). Report submitted to the Government of Bahrain, GEOMATEC, BCSR, August 2006.

• Hamann ,et al. (2006). Assessment of the conservation of the leatherback turtle in the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia. IOSEA Marine Turtle MOU Secretariat. Thailand.

• GCPEMW (2006). Semi-structured interviews with Mr. Jasim Al Qassir .• BCSR (2006). Semi-structured interviews with Dr. Mohammed Al Romaidh, Dr

Ibrahim Abdulqader and Dr. Adil Al-Zayani.• The Study of Abundant and Distribution of Turtles and Dugongs in Bahraini Water.

Reports.• http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=484&ArticleID

=5327&l=en• Regional Meeting (2006)Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and

Management of Marine Turtles and their Habitats of the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia . Oman.

Thank You!

Khawla Al Muhannadi

Environment Friends Society – Bahrain

[email protected]

[email protected]

• Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) are the only sea turtles recorded in Bahrain

تسجيل • تم البحرين لمملكة اإلقليمية المياه فيالخضراء وباألخص السالحف نوعي من العديد وجودوالشمالي العظم فشت حول الشرقي الجانب فيحول الجنوبي الجزء في وكذلك اليارم فشت تجاهالسالحف بعض تمسجيل كم حوار، وجزر مشتان

. أيضا المياه تلك في الحجم الصغيرة(Miller, 1989; Bill, 2000; Al-Zyani, 2003)

السالحف • هذه تستخدم موقع أي قط يسجل لم. البحرين سواحل في البيض لوضع

• There are seven living species of sea turtles, of which two are common in the Gulf.

• The green turtle Cheloria mydas is the commonest species locally.

• The hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbrica

• The Project is funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), implemented by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and executed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the governments and private sector of the twelve participating countries and SEAFDEC. For details, see the REBYC brochure (PDF

• The "Reduction of environmental impact from tropical shrimp trawling" project is a global project with 12 participating countries and 1 intergovernmental fisheries body.


• Few information available on the abundance and distribution of green turtles in Bahrain Water.

• These data were gathered from different studies (Miller et al., 1989; Preen et al., 1989; Mohamed, 1991, 1993; King, 1999), and survey reports (Bell, 2001; King, 2002; BCSR, 2005; EFS, 2005) and other reports from fishermen.



•Data Collected from different sources: DGPMR, BCSR, recorders

•The points’ data was input in the GIS (digitized) and transferred to maps (representing the geographical coordinates of the recoded sittings) were digitally converted into areas/polygons to make them suitable for spatial analysis.

•These output polygons (generated in ESRI Shapefile format) were created using the “assign proximity” utility analysis in ArcView 3.2. This utility creates a grid of discrete zones (Theissen polygons) around the target points, by assigning each cell to the nearest target feature.

Al Zayani, 2003


• In survey in 2000 • The shallow offshore area to the south east of

Bahrain had the highest densities of turtles (6.5/km2 )

• The second is the area between Bahrain and Hawar (0.6/km2 ).

• The highest density of turtle foraging was observed between the headland of Hadd al Jamal (50o 37.50’ and 26o 51.00’) and the shallow area of Jabbari (50o 40.00’ and 26o 55.00’).

)Al Zayani, 2003.(

NGO’s Initiative

لحماية الوطنية الحملةالبحرية السالحف

The National Campaign for Saving Marine Turtles (Sulhuf)

المهندي خولة البيئية الباحثةKhawla Al Muhannadi

العظم فشت لحماية البيئي التكتل ممثلةالبيئة اصدقاء جمعية رئيسة

First Press Conference المؤتمراألول الصحفي

2005سبتمبر 5

Press Conferences

الغاية : • البحرية السالحف لحماية الوطنية الحملةواألهداف

السالحف : • واقع الوطنية الحملة قبل ما فرضيةالبحر مرتادو يراه كما

الموارد • الستعمال المنظمة واللوائح القوانينالبحرية بالسالحف والخاصة البحرية

ماتم : • البحرية السالحف لحماية الوطنية الحملةوالخطوات- – العمل خطة األولي االستنتاج

القادمة

Marine Turtles in Bahrain Khawla Al Muhannadi President of Environment Friends Society.

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