MTN 49:14-16 Report of the Sea Turtle Working Group Meeting, I.C.S.E.M.

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Report of the Sea Turtle Working Group Meeting, I.C.S.E.M.

Jacques Maigret
Coordinator of the Working Group I.C.S.E.M., 138 Avenue de la Paix, 06190 Roquebrunne Cap Martin, France

The Meeting was convened in Athens, Greece, 31 October 1988. Prior to technical discussions, the actions of international organizations concerned with the welfare of sea turtles in the Mediterranean (European Council, European Economic Community, United Nations Environment Programme Mediterranean Action Plan) were presented. Technical sessions were as follows:

Measuring Sea Turtles: the International Commission for Scientific Exploration of the Mediterranean Sea (I.C.S.E.M.) Sea Turtle Working Group recommends that turtles on the nesting beach be measured using calipers (straightline carapace) and that turtles captured at sea be measured over-the-curve. In each case, the method employed should be clearly indicated. New recommendations will be defined at the end of the survey carried out by L. Laurent. The Working Group suggests that biometric studies be undertaken in order to correlate measurements obtained using the two different methods.

Tagging: Consensus was not reached as to tag type. With respect to validating the recapture of tagged animals, the Working Group advises that a report of the tag number is sufficient and that turtles ought to be returned to the water (with the tag intact) in order to discourage the killing of these animals. As a "reward" to the person reporting the recapture, a personal letter is sent by the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece thanking him and enclosing information about sea turtles. A monetary reward (as is common in the tuna fishery) was unanimously rejected in order not to encourage the fishermen to catch the turtles. The idea of delivering a "diploma" certifying participation in the tag-recovery program won the approval of all participants. Coordination among tagging programs is essential. In view of the central position held by the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, it was decided that every person tagging turtles in the Mediterranean Sea should inform the Museum (Marine Turtle Working Group) so that the Museum can coordinate tag returns.

Estimating Incidental Catch: At present, this research is very anecdotal. It is necessary to turn our attention to research in the area of population dynamics; to do so we need to obtain estimations of nesting populations, recruitment of young turtles, and incidental catch. R. Argano tried to obtain information about the numbers of turtles caught by the Italian fishery, but it is necessary to differentiate as far as this figure is concerned the turtles caught and killed from those released. P. Megalofonou insists upon the necessity of reasoning in dynamic terms, and of estimating in particular the fishing effort and the catch per unit effort. In that case, it is not possible to cover the whole Mediterranean Sea, thus some sampling problems in the fisheries arise. The Working Group would like to establish a Board, including specialists in fisheries statistics, to consider this problem of methodology. The collaboration of the C.G.P.M. (FAO) will be requested in support of this work, and to define a common sampling program in the Mediterranean Sea.

Developing New Research Programs: Recognizing some serious deficiencies in information in certain areas of the Mediterranean Sea, the Working Group should seek to develop and support research in selected countries. In order to overcome problems in training for research personnel, two training levels are envisaged:

survey beaches, biology of turtles, population dynamics (this may be done with the help of UNEP/MAP, which already does training in other fields),
study physiology of reproduction, hatching, hatchling sex (this is meant for researchers involved in reproduction programs).

Future of the Working Group: The Working Group considers that the coordination is essential for the successful future of sea turtle research in the Mediterranean Sea. The Working Group sees the need for work in two interdisciplinary areas:

studying sea turtles within the entire pelagic ecosystem (including tunas, swordfishes, marine mammals, birds),
an effort more focused on sea turtles and their marine environment (hydrology, oceanography, meteorology) and their terrestrial environment (geology and sedimentation of the beaches, town planning and conservation of places of interest, economy).

Non-government Organizations (NGOs): L. Veniselos presented the recently created MEDASSET (Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtle) and noted that the group already has support from the EEC, UNEP and WWF. B. Rolle presented the actions of Greenpeace in the Mediterranean Sea, especially regarding the incidental catch of turtles in Spain. T. Arapi presented information about the Society for the Preservation of Sea Turtles in Greece. The Working Group wonders whether the increase in the number of associations concerned with sea turtles is favorable for the turtles, but emphasizes that their intervention is often necessary in some fields where scientists are powerless. The NGOs constitute effective pressure groups, whereas scientists have little contact with the media and are often confronted with administrative difficulties. Strong relations should be maintained between groups of scientific experts like ours and the NGO community, since some of them are likely to act as sponsors for research programs. The Working Group supports the creation of MEDASSET and invites every cooperation between scientists and NGOs.