by Rebecca Regnery
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| Commander Alan Bunn/NOAA Corps (ret.) |
| A green sea turtle. |
Sea turtles don’t have a lot to be thankful for nowadays, as the threats that these endangered animals face continue to increase. A U.S. study released in September 2007 showed that six out of the seven species of sea turtle are indeed still threatened or endangered. However, Humane Society International and its partners have achieved a string of successes in increasing protection for sea turtles this year, which was chosen as the Year of the Sea Turtle by Mexico’s Commission on Natural Protected Areas and in many ways has lived up to that name.
International Sea Turtle Experts Urge Reduction in Illegal Trade
In February, the International Sea Turtle Society adopted a resolution [PDF] co-drafted by Humane Society International and the Caribbean Conservation Corporation which urges countries to address enforcement problems in preventing illegal trade in sea turtles and their parts. The resolution was endorsed by leading sea turtle scientists and experts. In the past, resolutions adopted at this meeting have led to important international and domestic policy changes. We will use these recommendations to pressure countries with large illegal markets for sea turtle parts—some even sell sea turtle products in tourist areas and international airports—to take appropriate action to curtail these activities.
A New Fisheries Law Passed in Mexico
Also in February, Mexico passed an important law to increase protection for marine animals affected by fisheries, including sea turtles. Among many other protection measures, the new law bans the use of certain types of nets that drift though the sea, entangling sea turtles and causing them to drown. It also requires the use of special circle hooks which are harder for turtles to swallow and therefore less lethal. Finally, it protects sea turtle nesting and feeding sites from fishing and bans fishing around coral reefs. The protection measures required by this law are especially good news for critically endangered leatherback sea turtles.
Cuba Ends Sea Turtle Hunting
At the meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES in June, Cuba announced that it would declare a moratorium on sea turtle hunting starting in 2008. This will end the annual hunting of 500 Hawksbill sea turtles by coastal villages for turtle meat. Cuba has stockpiles of shells from these hunts and has tried and failed three times to get CITES permission to allow it to trade these stockpiled shells to Japan. Humane Society International has helped to defeat these proposals and currently co-chairs the Sea Turtle Working Group for the Species Survival Network. Though the last proposal to CITES was five years ago, Cuba noted that the ban on turtle hunting should not be taken as an indication that it has given up on future proposals to relax the ban on international trade in Hawksbill shell.
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| Michelle Scharer |
| A Hawksbill turtle. |
Tuna Fishery Increases Protection for Sea Turtles
At the annual meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) in June, Humane Society International worked with the U.S. government on a proposal [PDF] which was adopted by IATTC members to reduce the negative impact on sea turtles by the commercial tuna fishing industry in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The resolution calls for implementation of UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Guidelines and fishing trials to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of using circle hooks and other methods to reduce sea turtle bycatch, entanglement, injury, and mortality.
New Publications Guide Protection Efforts
Humane Society International co-sponsored two sea turtle protection-related publications geared at increasing protection for these vulnerable creatures:
What You Can Do
These advances only scratch the surface of the challenges sea turtles must overcome in order to survive. They continue to face numerous indirect threats to their fragile existence, including incidental catch by commercial fisheries, pollution in the oceans and on nesting beaches, ship strikes, and coastal development, to name a few. The least we can do is protect them from human consumption.
1. Choose souvenirs carefully. Before you purchase an item, stop to consider its composition and origin. Avoid buying anything that appears to be made of turtle shell.
2. Say no to turtle soup and turtle eggs. Better still, avoid frequenting establishments that advertise and serve these dishes. Be sure to let these restaurants know why you have chosen not to patronize them.
3. Ask hotels that are on or near sea turtle nesting beaches to turn off lights, remove furniture, and ask people to keep their distance from sea turtles at night when they nest. If they refuse, tell them you will not return and will tell your friends not to visit.
4. If you see or hear about sea turtles being threatened in any of the above or other ways, write a letter to the authorities of the country involved, politely asking them to take appropriate action. You can find contact information for Ministries of Environment, Tourism, Agriculture and Fisheries on the Internet.
Rebecca Regnery focuses on International Policy on Ocean and Wildlife Protection for Humane Society International.
