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(Editor)

In response to the concern expressed in a decision of the 42nd meeting of the Survival Service Commission regarding the rapidly expanding trade in sea turtles and their products, the Secretariat of IUCN, in consultation with the Co-Chairmen of the SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group, convened an ad hoc meeting to "review the commercial exploitation of marine turtles with special reference to the state and implications of turtle farming and, if possible, to reduce the result of such review to a statement of principles".

This meeting took place at Miami, Florida, USA, on 21 - 23 November 1974. The resulting Statement was accepted by the 44th meeting of the Survival Service Commission on 7 -8 March 1975, and is now issued as the Commission's'Principles and Recommendations'.

2. The reasons for the extinction and decline of populations include particularly exploitation for meat, hides, eggs and other products (including souvenirs), massive killing of turtles in the trawl nets of fishing fleets as well as increasing habitat destruction and disturbance.

3. The situation has become even more critical with the expansion of international commercial trade in sea turtles and their products.

4. As regards trawling, urgent attention should be given to encourage the use of nets designed to minimize undesirable catches of turtles, and research into this question whould be given funding priority.

5. As regards souvenirs, the taking and preparing of turtles and turtle products for the primary purpose of souvenirs should be strongly discouraged.

6. As regards primary exploitation (meat, hides, eggs), where it can be demonstrated that local turtle populations can tolerate exploitation, and the desire or necessity is present, this should be done only by peoples trAditionally dependent on them, with methods ensuring minimal waste and for local utilization. The diversion of wild sea turtle resources from traditional use by local people, or the expansion of that use, to satisfy or extend the demands of international commerce, is condemned.

7. It is emphasized at this point that there is a distinction between turtle farming and turtle ranching; a turtle farm implies that the unit is completely independent of wild stocks; a turtle ranch is a unit dependent on wild populations for eggs or turtles with the animals kept in varying degrees of captivity (H. Hirth, FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 85, "Synopsis of Biological Data on the Green Turtle", December 1971).

8. Further, in recognition of the deteriorating energy and food resources of the world, it is advocated that wherever possible any turtle culture be maintained at the lowest applicable trophic level.*

9. Farming objectives which lead to the expansion of existing markets resulting possibly in an increased exploitation of wild turtles are unacceptable. However, it would be consistent with the foregoing principles to accept turtle farming whose producis will replace wild turtle products in existing traditional markets. The acceptability of any farm should be demonstrated by suitably designed and independently evaluated tests and data. 'Moreover, those ranching endeavours satisfying the above conditions and which can be shown not to harm wild turtle populations are also acceptable.

10. Funds should be provided for the preparation of informative pamphlets to promote the application of the foregoing principles and immediate measures should be taken to ensure the early implementati.on of such action as is necessary to conserve the marine turtle resource in accordance with these principles.

11. Nearly all the considerations stated for Chelonia may be applied with equal force to populations of the six other species of marine turtles.

* All organisms are classified as producers, primary consumers (herbivores), secondary consumers (carnivores), or decomposers according to the place they occupy in the food chain of an ecosystem. This placement'is termed 'trophic level'. Therefone, hervivorous species should subsist on a diet based on plant protein and carnivorous species on animal protein.