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ASIA

Reward program up to protect endangered marine species
Officials of one of Zamboanga City’s eastern coast villages in the Philippines have initiated a reward program aimed to protect endangered marine species that seeks shelter in their area. The reward program was initiated by the village officials of Bolong, 35 kilometers east of Zamboanga City, after noting that endangered marine species like the green sea turtle always got trapped on fishermen’s gear while on fishing offshore Bolong. Bolong village chief Antonio Evangelista said he and his councilmen have agreed through a resolution to pay the reward of P500 (about $12 USD) to any individual who would turn over to them any kind of endangered species they incidentally caught within or near their place. Evangelista said that aside from helping protect endangered, the reward system also serve as an added income to the fisher folks staying in his village. Last Monday, a green sea turtle weighing more than 30 kilos was turned over to them by fishermen staying in the village of Bolong. The green sea turtle that was caught on Monday was the fifth since last year, according to Evangelista. It measures 58 centimeter in length and 49 centimeters in width, Evangelista said. After placing the corresponding tag, he said the turtle was freed and witnessed by officials of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro). Several people that stay in Bolong are into fishing as their means of livelihood being a coastal village. Source: GMA News, 25 April 2008.

Turtle Eggs No ‘Viagra’
Demand for turtle eggs, which are illegal to be sold, in Brunei are believed to be as strong as ever, even after many awareness campaigns. It is seen as a delicacy and aphrodisiac by many in Brunei, but contrary to the popular belief the eggs carry no aphrodisiac qualities and each turtle egg packs 10 times more cholesterol than a chicken egg. In one of the biggest haul, some eleven boxes containing over 8,500 turtle eggs were seized last Sunday as authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle them into the country. The black market price for the eggs has reportedly shot up. The Fisheries Department believes the eggs may have come from the neighbouring country, most probably from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Officers from the Royal Customs and Excise and Museum Department said turtle eggs are sold in the black market, mostly through word of mouth due to the illegal trade. Bruneians are known to cross the border to buy the eggs. The sale of eggs is also illegal in Sabah, however, Brunei buyers and sellers in Sabah usually use hand signal to trade the contraband goods. Consumption of sea turtles infected with zoonotic pathogens may lead to diarrhoea, vomiting, and extreme dehydration, which may occasionally result in hospitilisation and even death. A report in a Malaysian newspaper, the Malay Mail, said the benefit of consuming turtle eggs is all hype and it’s also not an aphrodisiac. The report quoted a marine biologist from the Marine Conservation Centre as saying that the idea of eating turtle eggs to increase male virility and sexual libido can be thrown out of the window. Contrary to the popular belief, there is no health benefit in consuming turtle eggs. The sale and consumption of the eggs in Brunei is illegal. Source: BruneiDirect.com News, 18 June 2008.

AMERICAS

Loggerhead Sea-turtle Nests at All-time Low in Florida
Florida’s beaches lost a substantial amount of loggerhead sea-turtle nests in 2007, giving the state its lowest nest count in 17 years, wildlife officials reported. Researchers found 45,084 nests for the threatened turtles, down more than 4,600 from 2006, according to newly released statistics from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Florida accounts for 90 percent of loggerhead nests in the US, which have decreased by nearly half since 1998, when the state reported 85,988 nests. Loggerhead sea-turtle deaths in Florida have more than doubled during the past decade, statistics show. While the number of loggerhead nests has been shrinking, green and leatherback turtle nests are increasing, in many cases at the same beaches. There’s no simple answer for this disparity, said Anne Meylan, who coordinates the statewide nesting-beach-survey program. Disease, oil spills, red tide and boat collisions kill many sea turtles, and beach development can disturb all wildlife, she said. One factor that could be affecting loggerheads more than other sea turtles is shrimp-boat nets and long-line fishing hooks. Loggerheads eat shrimp and other hard-shelled invertebrates, whereas other sea turtles do not. A rule was passed several years ago requiring shrimp fisheries to use nets with turtle-excluder devices, Meylan said. But because loggerheads take up to 30 years to begin reproducing, it could be decades before the effect of that rule is observed in nesting numbers, she said. Source: Associated Press, 21 April 2008

After 70 Years, One of World’s Largest Turtles Revisits Padre Island
Tracks and eggs belonging to one of the world’s largest turtles, the endangered leatherback, have been spotted at Padre Island National Seashore for the first time since the 1930s. National Park Service staffers ran across the broad tracks while patrolling June 6 for the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, the smallest of five species of sea turtles that are found in the Gulf of Mexico. Instead, they found leatherback tracks. Atlantic leatherback turtles, which may number in the hundreds of thousands, have been “coming back like gangbusters” because of efforts to protect their nesting beaches, said Larry Crowder, a marine biologist at Duke University who specializes in sea turtle population dynamics. Park Service staff members dug near the tracks and found a nest cavity — with two eggs in it — as well as six eggs on the surface. Leatherbacks typically lay as many as 100 eggs, which are white and about 2 inches around, in one clutch. The two buried eggs were taken back to the National Seashore’s sea turtle lab for incubation to protect them from predators and vehicles on the beach. The six other eggs had grown too hot and were no longer viable. Leatherbacks are usually not distracted once they start laying their eggs, which takes about a half-hour. Regarding the turtle who visited the beach last week, Crowder said: “Perhaps she started laying eggs and was frightened off the beach.” Scientists are uncertain about the leatherback’s life expectancy, though they may live to be 60 years old, Crowder said. Source: Austin American-Statesman, 13June 2008.

Dominica Introduces New Sea Turtle Program
While Dominica offers many things to see and do for nature enthusiasts, sea turtle watching is rapidly becoming a major attraction. Growing out of a successful sea turtle program operating on Rosalie Beach, visitors to “The Nature Island” of Dominica will soon be able to observe these magnificent creatures at many more locations across the island with a trained tour guide from neighboring villages. The recently established Dominica Sea Turtle Conservation Organization (DomSeTCO) is formally launching a coordinated, community-based eco-tourism and management program in 2009 that will operate at Londonderry Beach, Bout Sable Beach, and the beaches at Rosalie and Riviere Cyrique. However, nightly beach patrolling has already begun, with trained citizen patrollers conducting turtle tagging, data collection and, when necessary, nest and egg relocation. Turtle watching tours for visitors will be $10USD per person in season, which lasts approximately from March through August each year. The sandy beaches along Dominica’s southeast coast provide the perfect nesting ground for various species of internationally endangered sea turtles such as the leatherback, hawksbill and green turtles. DomSeTCO is implementing the Sea Turtle Conservation program in collaboration with the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation (WIDECAST), continuing the work of the Rosalie Sea Turtle Initiative Inc. with the goal of providing concrete data on Dominica’s nesting sea turtle populations by utilizing sound scientific methodologies and by enlisting the assistance and support of local communities. Source: Travel Daily News, 01 July 2008.

Vacation for Procreation
A hotel is offering a new kind of package in which you can win a free vacation. The only catch is that you have to make a baby first. The Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort in Florida is offering couples who want to start a family quite a fertility deal. It’s called the “Fertile Turtle” package. To keep with the turtle theme, the package is offered from May 1st through October 31st - sea turtle nesting season. “We had an idea to create a vacation that would help couples looking to fertilize an egg of their own,” said a spokesperson for the hotel. The Fertile Turtle package comes with a daily cup of red clover and raspberry tea, which contains a pregnancy-inducing herb for women. Part of the US $400 a night stay will go towards protecting the threatened loggerhead sea turtle species. The hotel will donate a portion of every package sold to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, which runs a sea turtle protection project in the area. Source: NBC-2.com, 20 June 2008.

Gill Net Buyout Reached After Long Negotiations
The negotiations continued until an hour before the vote was taken, but in the end, both sides in the gill net controversy say they got what they wanted. Fishermen who use gill nets off Alabama waters got guarantees that they could hold onto their gill net licenses for life. Conservationists got a buyout package that will not allow those licenses to be transferred once they’re surrendered, a move they say will gradually reduce the number of gill nets in use off the Alabama shore. Alabama’s gill nets have been blamed by local scientists for causing a “localized depletion” of species such as Spanish mackerel and mullet, and conservationists have called the nets destructive because they kill many species that encounter them, including birds and sea turtles. Commercial gill net fishermen have insisted the stocks are healthy and that their work supports the local seafood industry and related businesses. The legislation that emerged from the negotiations allows commercial gill net fishermen to retire their nets starting March 1, 2009, in exchange for a one-time payment. Those who caught less than US $5,000 worth of fish in calendar years 2005, 2006 and 2007 would receive a payout of US $6,000. Those whose catch in those calendar years totaled US $5,000 to $20,000 would receive 200 percent of the highest annual income during that period. Those who caught US $20,000 or more in those calendar years would receive 125 percent of the highest annual income during that period. Once surrendered, the licenses would be retired. Source: Press Register, 10 May 2008.

New Fishing Gear Regulations
The US National Marine Fisheries Service reminds Gulf of Mexico recreational and commercial reef fish fishermen of new fishing gear requirements effective June 1, 2008. The purpose is to reduce the discard and bycatch mortality in the reef fish fishery. These requirements do not apply to fishermen fishing in South Atlantic waters. Non-stainless steel circle hooks are required. A circle hook is defined as a fishing hook designed and manufactured so the point is turned perpendicularly back to the shank to form a generally circular, or oval, shape. Research has found circle hooks are more likely to hook fish in the mouth, instead of in the esophagus or stomach. This reduces damage to the fish. The requirement for circle hooks only applies to fishing with natural baits, such as cut or live bait. J-hooks may be used with artificial lures or artificial baits (e.g., plastic shrimp). Some circle hooks are offset, meaning there is some sideways bending of the end of the hook in relation to the hook shank. The federal requirement for circle hooks allows the use of offset circle hooks in federal waters. However, some research has indicated the greater the degree of offset, the greater the likelihood of injuring a hooked fish. Therefore, the use of offset circle hooks is discouraged. Some states, such as Florida, will not allow offset circle hooks to be used when fishing for reef fish in state waters, so it is important to check with the state fishery management agency where fishing to determine if similar measures apply. The non-stainless steel hook requirement will allow hooks to corrode over time. This reduces the possibility of damage to the fish or incidentally captured animals such as sharks, birds, turtles and dolphins. Dehookers are also required. A dehooking device is a tool intended to remove a hook embedded in a fish. It allows a fish to be released with minimum damage. At least one dehooking device is required when fishing for reef fish in Gulf of Mexico federal waters. Dehookers do not need to be used if it is safer for the fish and the angler to cut the line rather than trying to remove a deeply imbedded hook. Operators of all vessels with commercial and for-hire reef fish vessel permits in the Gulf of Mexico are reminded about current requirements for sea turtle and smalltooth sawfish release gear. The vessels must also post the sea turtle handling and release guidelines laminated placard inside the wheelhouse or in an easily viewable area if no wheelhouse. The protocol and placard can be found online at: <http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/>. Source: Rockport Pilot, 28 May 2008.

Caribbean: “We Must Produce More and Consume Less”
For the first time in living memory, Caribbean governments invested time and large sums of money to organise an emergency food summit at their trade bloc’s headquarters in Guyana aimed specifically at dealing with the global food crisis and the region’s spiraling import bill. The two-day regional agricultural investment forum earlier this month was hailed as a resounding success, if only because authorities were able to bring together, in one room, commercial bankers, two heads of government, cabinet ministers, farmers and representatives from multilateral institutions like the World Bank to focus on a single topic -- the need to produce more food in the Caribbean. One of the more interesting proposals came from North West Organics of Guyana, which has for years been involved in a massive project to preserve four species of turtles that nest on a 100-mile stretch of beach on Guyana’s northern coast. Anxious to reduce the killing of the turtles, including the well-loved leatherback, spokeswoman Annete Arjoon says her society could reduce the slaughter of nesting female turtles if only the conservation body could find the money to increase organic cocoa production for export to places like Britain, turn subsistence cassava farming into value-added products like cassava bread and get residents into commercial production of the manicole or heart of palm vegetable for export. France is a major consumer of the product. If the project got off the ground, the need of area residents to hunt turtles for eggs and meat would be drastically reduced. Source: Inter Press Service, 20 June 2008.

Tourism Boom Threatens Costa Rica Eco-paradise
Pungent brown sewage spews into the Pacific ocean. In the background, cranes put up hotels and beachfront apartments. Once home to monkeys, turtles and other rare wildlife, this stretch of coast in northwest Costa Rica is developing so fast that it is tarnishing the country’s reputation as a destination for eco-tourists. Some 1.4 million people visit Central America’s richest country every year, but they no longer come just for the national parks that cover more than a quarter of its area and are home to almost 5 percent of the world’s plant and animal species. The biggest stimulus came when the airport at nearby Liberia began handling international flights five years ago, putting the previously little-known Guanacaste province within, for example, three hours of Miami. With tropical sunshine, sandy beaches and surf, developers saw a chance to attract everyone from surfers and honeymooners to U.S. retirees seeking a second home, transforming sleepy towns with names like Tamarindo, Quepos, Playas del Coco and Jaco. The result is rampant construction that environmentalists fear could balloon into noisy, sprawling resorts with cruise ship ports and golf courses like those of Cancun, Mexico, which guzzle water and pollute the environment. Already, Costa Rica has lost up to half of its monkey population in the last 12 years as developers expand into their jungle habitat, according to scientists at the University of Costa Rica. Light pollution from Tamarindo is making life harder for leatherback turtles. The town’s lights disorient the tiny hatchlings, sending them toward the luminescence instead of out to sea. The issue is a familiar one in developing countries as they weigh the benefits of tourist dollars that come with high-rise hotels against the loss of greenery when virgin land is paved over. Tourism is Costa Rica’s top foreign exchange earner. Property developers point to the big contribution the construction sector makes to the economy, accounting for 5 percent of gross domestic product and growing by 16 percent last year. The breakneck development has the government and even the tourism industry worried. When rains overflowed septic tanks in Tamarindo, tons (tonnes) of raw sewage flowed into the ocean and the resort lost its “blue flag” issued by Costa Rica’s water utility to indicate healthy ocean water conditions. President Oscar Arias, whose government wants to cut the country’s net carbon emissions to zero by 2021, has begun a crackdown at newer Pacific resorts, closing some businesses and ordering height restrictions on buildings near the beach. “Tamarindo and Jaco got out of our hands, but our scientists are working on ways of assuring development that is compatible with nature,” Arias told Reuters. Source: Reuters, 20 June 2008.

OCEANIA

Turtle Fence Falls Little Short
A project to replace the temporary fencing along Kealia Beach with a more durable plastic lumber fence has been stalled, with just a little over a half mile to go. In January, volunteers and staff of the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge began constructing the new permanent fence along North Kihei Road, designed to prevent nesting turtles from accidentally clambering onto the roadway. “The objective was to form a barrier to protect sea turtles, primarily hawksbill sea turtles that are coming ashore and nesting on the beach,” said Glynnis Nakai, manager of the Kealia Pond refuge. The project was expected to be completed in early February but was stopped due to insufficient materials. Nakai said that the refuge staff is in the process of finding another company able to supply the durable plastic lumber used in the fence in order to continue with the construction. “The idea would be to locate another plastic fabricating company to bring out more material so we can finish off where we stopped,” she said. There are no companies in Hawaii that could match their needs. The old fence, a combination of wire and wood slats, will be removed once the new fence is complete, but for now, it’s staying up as a primary barrier to turtles climbing the roadside sand dune. The old fence was installed a decade ago after two incidents in which female hawksbill turtles carrying eggs were struck by cars and killed after they had crawled over the dune in search of a nesting site. Neither of the fences affects access to the beach, Nakai said. Both fences have spaces for people to walk through, and the new fence is low enough for most people to easily step over. Source: Maui News, 22 June 2008.

Turtles Come Out of Their Shell
Most New Zealanders are more familiar with pet turtles in living room aquariums than the large turtles that swim off our coast, but Forest & Bird is asking Kiwis to help protect these fascinating sea creatures on World Turtle Day on May 23. Five species of sea turtle have been recorded in New Zealand waters, with the leatherback the most commonly seen, especially off the West Coast, according to Forest & Bird Conservation Advocate Kirstie Knowles. The leatherback is the largest turtle in the world – up to three metres long – and the heaviest – up to 900 kilograms – and can dive the deepest – down to 900 metres. It is also critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Other sea turtles recorded in New Zealand waters include the loggerhead turtle, the green turtle, the hawksbill turtle and the olive ridley turtle, which are seasonal visitors, mainly in the north. Sea turtles have been swimming in our oceans for at least 110 million years, but now human activities threaten turtle populations around the world. Threats include entanglement and drowning in fishing gear, eating plastic, habitat disturbance, and killing turtles for their eggs, meat and shells, says Kirstie Knowles. Source: New Zealand Independent News Media, 22 May 2008.

Rare Leatherback Turtles Return to Malaysia
The endangered leatherback turtle has made a surprise return to nest in Malaysia where they were feared to have been wiped out, but experts are worried the precious eggs will not hatch. After a no-show last year, the rare giant turtles have nested twice on the Rantau Abang beach in northern Terennganu state, on June 23 and 24. “We presume that (roughly) two more females will arrive to nest. Two years ago we had five nesting sites for these leatherbacks,” said Munir Mohamad Nawi, director of the state’s fisheries department, adding that none of the eggs gathered then had produced baby leatherbacks. Workers from the state’s Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre hatchery have recovered just 41 eggs from the latest two nests, less than half what would be expected. Munir said it was likely that some eggs had been poached by locals who sell them illegally in nearby markets. The sale of leatherback turtle eggs is banned in the state but those of other sea turtle species can be sold and consumed. In Terengganu, the only place in Malaysia were the leatherbacks nested, the turtles were once a star attraction but overfishing, poaching and pollution have been blamed for causing the population to plummet. “My only hope is that the eggs hatch. None of the eggs has hatched since 2000 because they were infertile,” said Rahayu Zulkifli from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which runs a turtle conservation project in Terengganu. Munir said Malaysian scientists were planning to use “advanced reproductive biotechnology” to fertilise this month’s haul of leatherback eggs. “For example, we have the technology to use the semen from the green turtles and try to fertilise the leatherback eggs. This is among the technology we will be trying out to produce hatchlings,” he said. Munir said that cloning was another method being studied in the biotechnology programme. “But that will be the last resort to prevent the extinction of the species,” he added. Source: Brisbane Times, 29 June 2008.

INDIAN OCEAN

Kuwait Bans Fishing of Some Sea Species
Kuwait has imposed a ban on the fishing of sea turtles, sharks and shellfish and some rare sea animals on the Kuwaiti coasts, an agricultural and piscine watchdog said Thursday. The ban involves the sale of such species at all local markets and shops in Kuwait, the Kuwaiti Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) said in a release. The move is part of Kuwaiti moves to regulate the fishing and breeding of fish and sea species in Kuwaiti territorial waters, the PAAAFR added. The PAAAFR noted that it would oblige fishermen and companies working in the field of fishing to send sea species back to their natural environment if they were unlucky to be caught in their nets. However, these sea animals can be fished only for scientific and research purposes, it said. Source: Arab Times, 21 June 2008.

Sea Turtles Almost Gone from Andaman Coast
Scenes of releasing young sea turtles back into the sea are common. However, whether these little creatures will be able to survive or not also depends on the environment. According to the Marine and Coastal Resources Development and Research Center, statistics showed the number of sea turtles coming to Thailand’s Andaman shores to lay their eggs has dropped dramatically. There were only 10-20 nests per year, decreasing from almost 1,000 nests in the past. “The situation is worrying. In the past five decades, the number of sea turtles has dropped five fold. Beaches in Phangna and Phuket used to be places for sea turtles to lay eggs. Now, there are only 20 or so nests per year,” said Kongkiert Kitiwatcharawong, academic. The Olive Ridley turtle is now rarely seen coming ashore to lay eggs. The major cause is the over- development of coastal areas for tourism. Leatherback sea turtles also used to be found on Phuket’s Mai Khao beach. Human influence affects coastal areas where sea turtles live for six months before landing ashore shore to lay eggs. In the near future, sea turtles might disappear from Thailand’s Andaman coast. “Naturally, sea turtles will return to the same place they usually come to lay eggs. But they will not return if the place is not safe for them anymore. They will find a new, better place,” said Kongkiert. More sea turtles are choosing to lay their eggs on beaches in Myanmar and Malaysia as there is little human intrusion. As a result, sea turtle conservation efforts are not only increasing their numbers but also providing them with a good environment suitable for their living and reproduction. Source: Thai News Agency, 4 May 2008.

Tanauan shores becoming haven of “Ocean Ambassadors”
The shores of Tanauan, Leyte is fast becoming known as a haven of ocean ambassadors, the sea turtles. On May 21, another Olive Ridley sea turtle was guided towards the sea where it rightfully belongs and where other endangered sea turtles await, by Tanauan Mayor Roque Tiu, members of the Bantay Dagat, the fisherman who caught it, several members of the media and the staff of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. It would be recalled that two Olive Ridley sea turtles were successively found by a local fisherman of Tanauan, in the first week of October 2007. Two weeks after, another sea turtle was found and returned to the sea after the DENR staff put a tag on the creatures. Just recently, a big green sea turtle was found by a local fisherman and then less than one month later, the Olive Ridley sea turtle measuring 18 inches in width and 20 inches long was found and guided by towards its natural abode after being tagged by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. There are more than 220 species of turtles, popularly known in the Philippines as pawikan, in the world, but only seven are considered marine (saltwater). Five of these seven species are present in the Philippines: green, hawksbill, loggerhead, olive ridley and leatherback turtles. Mayor Tiu said that municipal government and the fishermen of Tanauan are aware that the Philippine government has launched the Pawikan Conservation Project which is aimed at securing the protection of all the Philippine Sea Turtles. The LGU is bent on doing its best to support and make this program a success, Mayor Tiu added. Source: Philippine Information Agency, 27 May 2008.