Coordinated & Edited

by Irene Kinan
Sponsored by the
WESTERN
PACIFIC
SEA TURTLE
Cooperative Research & Management Workshop
PROCEEDINGS OF
THE SECOND
VOLUME II
North Pacic Loggerhead
Sea Turtles
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1400
Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813, USA
www.wpcouncil.org/Protected
To provide a forum to gather and exchange information,
promote collaboration, and maintain momentum for
research, conservation and management of Pacic
sea turtle populations.
Document Citation
Kinan, I. (editor). 2006. Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle
Cooperative Research and Management Workshop. Volume II: North Pacic
Loggerhead Sea Turtles. March 2-3, 2005, Honolulu, HI. Western Pacic
Regional Fishery Management Council: Honolulu, HI, USA.
Editors note
The papers presented at the workshop and contained in these proceedings
have been edited and formatted for consistency, with only minor changes
to language, syntax, and punctuation. The authors bibliographic,
abbreviation and writing styles, however, have generally been retained.
Several presenters did not submit a written paper, or submitted only an
abstract to the meeting. In these instances, a summary was produced
from transcripts of their presentations. The opinions of the authors do
not necessarily reect those of the Western Pacic Regional Fishery
Management Council.
A report of the Western Pacic Regional Fishery Management Council
printed pursuant to National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration
Award No. NA05NMF441092

3
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INDO-PACIFIC MARINE TURTLES

WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS

WORKSHOP SUMMARY: A Collaboration of Partnerships
Around the Pacic
INTRODUCTION: Research Story of the North Pacic
Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Irene Kinan and Dr. Wallace J. Nichols
Nesting Beach Management of Eggs and Pre-emergent
Hatchlings of North Pacic Loggerhead Sea Turtles in Japan
Dr. Yoshimasa Matsuzawa
The Sea Turtle Situation of Yakushima Island
Kazuyoshi Ohmuta
The Current Status of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Rookeries
in Miyazaki, Japan
Hiroshi Takeshita

Pelagic Research of Pacic Loggerhead Sea Turtles
in Partnership with Japan and Taiwan
George Balazs
The Kuroshio Extension Current Bifurcation Region:
A Pelagic Hotspot for Juvenile Loggerhead Sea Turtles
Dr. Jeffrey Polovina
Sea Turtle Fishery Bycatch Reduction:
An Update on Sensory Experiments and Field Trials
Dr. Yonat Swimmer
Table of Contents
5
6
7
8
9
11
13
23
27
31
35
39
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 4
Loggerhead Turtle Bycatch in Peru
Jeffrey Mangel

The Conservation Mosaic: Networks, Knowledge and
Communication for Loggerhead Turtle Conservation
at Baja California Foraging Grounds
Dr. Wallace J. Nichols

An Integrated Approach to Reducing Mortality of North Pacic
Loggerhead Turtles in Baja California SUR, Mexico
Hoyt Peckham
Reducing the Bycatch of Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)
in Baja California SUR: Experimental Modication of Gillnets
for Fishing Halibut
David Maldonado
Environmental Education on Pacic Loggerhead Turtles
for School Children in Mexico and Japan
Kojiro Mizuno

Health Issues of Sea Turtles: A Conservation Medicine Approach
Dr. Alonso Aguirre
New Caledonian Loggerhead Turtle Population Assessment:
2005 Pilot Study
Dr. Colin J. Limpus
APPENDIX 1: North Pacic Loggerhead Turtle Threat Mix
APPENDIX 2: Workshop Participants Contact Information
43
45
49
59
69
71
77
93
95
Table of Contents (continued)
5

Preface
This volume of papers is a record
of the Second Western Pacic
Sea Turtle Cooperative Research
and Management Workshop that
convened in Honolulu, Hawaii
sponsored by the Western Pacic
Regional Fishery Management
Council (WPRFMC). The focus of
these proceedings is on north Pacic
loggerhead sea turtles.
Sea turtles migrate vast distances
across ocean basins, living complex
life histories within pelagic, coastal
and beach habitats of numerous
Pacic nations. Consequently a
collaborative approach among
nations, in a manner that considers
their entire life history, is essential
for effective conservation and
management. Recognizing that sea
turtle recovery must focus on more
than just shery mitigation, the
WPRFMC, the federal authority for
sheries in the U.S. waters of the
Pacic Islands region, has expanded
its focus of international shery
management to include sea turtle
conservation.
In 2002, the WPRFMC convened
the rst Western Pacic Sea
Turtle Cooperative Research and
Management Workshop to exchange
scientic information, gather an
update on the status of population
trends, and help build consensus
for a regional approach towards
research and conservation (Kinan,
2002). Through this dialogue, the
WPRFMC focused on the most
efcient use of its resources to aid
in the recovery of depleted Pacic
sea turtle populations. Since 2003,
the WPRFMC, in collaboration
with NOAA Fisheries and numerous
community-based Non-governmental
Organizations (NGOs) have helped
foster essential research and
conservation throughout the Pacic
region. To date, the WPRFMCs
management program consists of
a suite of measures that include
sea turtle conservation projects at
nesting beaches and coastal foraging
habitats, and actions that promote
environmentally responsible longline
sheries.
To maintain momentum for
continued research, conservation and
management, the WPRFMC convened
a series of workshops that together
comprise the Second Western Pacic
Sea Turtle Cooperative Research &
Management Workshop. The focus of
these workshops were on west Pacic
leatherback and southwest Pacic
hawksbill sea turtles (May 17-21, 2004:
Volume 1; Kinan, 2005), and north
Pacic loggerhead sea turtles
(March 2-3, 2005: Volume 2).
The 13 papers presented at this
workshop comprise current and
comprehensive information from key
players involved in Pacic loggerhead
sea turtle research and conservation.
The workshop concluded by the
development of a threat matrix
for the north Pacic loggerhead
stock. Overall, new and encouraging
information was offered as well as
evidence that population level impacts
persist. This meeting reinforced that
effective sea turtle conservation must
be wide ranging and international in
scope, and that multi-cultural projects
involving scientists, conservationists,
shermen and communities are
necessary to establish effective
long-term management solutions.
6
The Western Pacic Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC)
would like to thank the workshop participants for their presentations
and papers prepared for the meeting. Without the dedication and
enthusiasm of our participants, this meeting would not have been
possible. The WPRFMC expresses its sincerest gratitude to its Turtle
Advisory Committee: Mr. George Balazs, Dr. Jeff Polovina, Dr. Peter
Dutton, Dr. Colin Limpus, Dr. Milani Chaloupka, Dr. Nick Pilcher,
Dr. Naoki Kamezaki, and Ms. Laura Sarti for their time, energy, ideas
and insights, and whose expertise and leadership we could not do
without. We thank NOAA Fisheries for involvement and support of this
workshop, of the WPRFMCs turtle program, and for sharing in the
vision of cooperative research and integrated sea turtle management.

Acknowledgments
7
Although revered in culture and customs around the globe, sea turtles have also been exploited for their meat, eggs,
shell, leather, and oil for centuries. The negative effects of this unregulated adult and egg harvest, along with impacts
from habitat degradation, coastal construction, commercial trade and mortalities through accidental capture in
coastal and pelagic sheries have accelerated the decline of sea turtle populations in the Pacic. Today, all sea turtle
populations are listed as either threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
1
.

Marine turtles of the Indo-Pacic. Not pictured is the subpopulation of the eastern Pacic black sea turtle, Chelonia
agassizii (PHOTO SOURCE: DR. COLIN LIMPUS)
1
Green (Chelonia mydas), and olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) sea turtles are listed as threatened, except for breeding colony populations of green turtles in Florida and on the
Pacic coast of Mexico and breeding colony populations of olive ridleys on the Pacic coast of Mexico which are listed as endangered.

Indo-Pacic Marine Turtles
Olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea)
Flatback (Natator depressus) Green (Chelonia mydas) Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)
8
GROUP PHOTO:
From left to right, top to bottom: Mr. Jeff Mangel, Dr. Yoshimasa Matsuzawa, Mr. David Maldonado, Ms. Anne Trevor, Ms. Tina Fahy,
Ms. Kitty Simonds, Dr. Alonso Aguirre, Dr. Amanda Southwood, Mr. Mizuno Kojiro, Ms. Erika Mori, Mr. George Keoki Balazs,
Ms. Therese Conant, Dr. Jeffrey Polovina, Ms. Brande Gerkee, Dr. Peter Dutton, Dr. Nicolas Pilcher, Mr. Hoyt Peckman, Dr. Wallace J.
Nichols, Dr. Colin Limpus, Dr. Kazuyoshi Ohmuta, Dr. Hiroshi Takeshita, Ms. Cheryl Ryder, Dr. Melissa Snover, Dr. Naoki Kamezaki,
Dr. Yonat Swimmer, Ms. Irene Kinan. Not pictured: Dr. Milani Chaloupka.
Workshop Participants
9
The WPRFMC loggerhead sea
turtle workshop, March 2-3, 2005,
brought together researchers
from Japan, Mexico, the United
States and Australia involved in the
conservation, management and
recovery of the Pacic loggerhead
sea turtles. Participants from the Sea
Turtle Association of Japan (including
Yakushima Island), Miyazaki Wildlife
Research Group, ProPeninsulas
ProCaguama project, Queensland
Turtle Research and NOAA Fisheries
discussed their results and progress
from the 2004 eld season and
solicited comments from the
WPRFMCs Turtle Advisory Committee
(TAC) who provided valuable advice
and suggestions to strengthen
research initiatives.
North Pacic loggerhead sea
turtles connect the ecosystems and
cultures of the Pacic Rim through
their migrations; as juveniles they
travel from Japan to Mexico via
the Hawaiian archipelago, and
at maturity they return to their
Japanese nesting beaches to
reproduce. These Pacic Ocean
ambassadors gather for decades at
the coast of Baja California Sur (BCS)
to feed and mature. Nearby, off
Puerto Lopez Mateos, loggerheads,
known locally as caguamas, forage
especially close to shore where
artisanal gillnet and longline shing
is intense. In the central north
Pacic, pelagic longline sheries
A Collaboration of Partnerships
Around the Pacic
Irene Kinan
WPRFMC
Turtle Program
Coordinator
Workshop Summary:
of many nations operate in
similar areas utilized by foraging
and migrating loggerheads. This
unfortunate overlap of shing and
foraging results in severe loggerhead
bycatch and a signicant source of
mortality. Recent research has thus
refocused scientic investigation to
the open ocean and coastal stage,
where turtles are vulnerable to
longline sheries and coastal gillnets.
ProCaguama, a community-based
campaign of the grassroots
conservation network Grupo
Tortuguero in Baja California, Mexico,
is empowering local communities
and shers to protect endangered
sea turtles and the threatened
ecosystems they inhabit through
partnerships to eliminate bycatch
and reduce local harvest pressure.
Scientists from ProCaguama
conducting research in Baja are
getting closer to understanding the
foraging dynamics of loggerheads,
and a number of communities
are becoming turtle safe from
poaching and shery bycatch. In
working with the halibut gillnet
shery, researchers and shers have
acquired a greater understanding
of the sherys dynamics and how
the shery as a unit interacts with
its environment, including target
and non-target species. With this
knowledge, shers are better able
to make informed and effective
management decisions.
On the other side of the Pacic,
Japanese colleagues from the Sea
Turtle Association of Japan and the
Miyazaki Wildlife Research Group
presented encouraging loggerhead
nesting population trend information
as well as innovative education and
outreach initiatives. International
collaborations and exchange of both
information and scientists among
Japan, the United States and Mexico
are connecting communities and
cultures across the north Pacic. This
trans-Pacic experience is broadening
perspectives and increasing capacity
for conservation among communities
throughout Baja and Japan. Although
international collaborations are
strengthening, scientic results
and data indicate that signicant
environmental impacts from beach
erosion, typhoons, and extreme
temperature continue to plague the
north Pacic loggerhead nesting stock.
Scientists from the NOAA Fisheries
Pacic Islands Fishery Science
Center (PIFSC) in Hawaii presented
a summary of collaborative pelagic
research projects with Japan and
Taiwan, results from longline shery
mitigation experiments, and data on
sea turtle shery bycatch studies in
Peru. A special guest from The Wildlife
Trust, the Director for Conservation
Medicine, provided valuable
information and insight regarding
conservation medicine and sea turtle
health studies, with an emphasis on
Baja California turtles.
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 10
Reports on an international
loggerhead study initiated in 2003
between American and Japanese
researchers have revealed the
importance of the north Pacic,
dened by the Kuroshio Extension
Current, as an important juvenile
forage hotspot for loggerhead sea
turtles. Lead scientists call the area
a nursery habitat for sea turtles,
noting that satellite telemetry
combined with oceanography is
providing scientic evidence as to
why turtle bycatch in the north
Pacic is largely young juvenile
turtles. Representing the work of
researchers from Hawaii, California,
and Japan, the study recommends
that conservation efforts focus on
identifying and reducing threats to
loggerhead survival in this nutrient-
rich area that is frequented by shing
vessels from many nations.
Additionally, the results from a
pilot study to quantify the nesting
demographics of a poorly dened and
unstudied south Pacic loggerhead
nesting stock in New Caledonia
were presented. In the south Pacic,
loggerhead turtle breeding is almost
entirely restricted to eastern Australia
and New Caledonia. Although the
eastern Australian population has
been extensively monitored and
researched, including long term
census trends, genetics analysis
and demographic studies since 1968,
the New Caledonian stock has not
been studied in any detail. Preliminary
results indicate a modest nesting
stock of approximately 60 females.
The population has declined, and
ndings suggest intensive nesting
beach impacts from erosion, predation
and land development.
In conclusion, long distance
migrations through international
waters, combined with a slow growth
rate, make loggerhead sea turtles
extremely vulnerable to both natural
and human pressures. Loggerheads
literally connect the whole Pacic
Ocean and thus conservation efforts
have to be international in scope
involving scientists, conservationists,
shermen and communities in
collaborative, multi-cultural, and
multi-lingual projects. Reducing
incidental catch of loggerheads in
pelagic longline sheries represents
only one aspect of conservation
efforts. Direct hunting and illegal
trade must be reduced, nesting
beaches protected and turtles must
be conserved in their foraging grounds
from both harvest and incidental
catch by coastal sheries. Most
importantly, resource managers
must engage a holistic approach
to conservation by improving their
understanding of the totality of
turtle ecosystems, such as that
of the far-ranging loggerhead.

11
Adelita was the name scientists
and shermen gave a loggerhead
turtle (Caretta caretta) they released
nearly a decade ago, on August 10,
1996, just off the town of Santa
Rosalita on the Pacic Coast of Baja
California, Mexico. Named after the
daughter of a Mexican sherman
who helped researchers secure a
satellite transmitter on her back, the
223-pound mature female splashed
into balmy Mexican coastal waters,
made a beeline across the Pacic
toward Japan, and crossed into turtle
history (Figure 1). It was a major,
major discovery, says Wallace J.
Nichols, ProPeninsula and research
associate from the California
Academy of Sciences. Nichols, then
a graduate student at the University
of Arizona, was part of the U.S. and
Mexican research team that set
Adelita on her historic journey.
A lot has happened since then
in understanding the far-ranging
ecosystem of the highly migratory
Pacic loggerhead, a threatened
sea turtle species. But back in
1996, although previous research
had shown a genetic connection
between loggerheads in Japan
and Baja, Nichols and his fellow
researchers and shermen friends
supplied the rst detailed physical
proof that these turtles migrated
from opposite sides of the Pacic
by tracking Adelitas trans-Pacic
journey by satellite (Figure 1).
Adelitas journey came at a critical
time for the threatened loggerhead
sea turtles in the north Pacic.
Once abundant along the nesting
beaches of Yakushima Island (near
the southern tip of Kyushu, Japans
southernmost island), loggerhead
turtles have been in rapid decline
in recent decades, with the number
of nesting females falling from an
estimated 5,000 year to only 1,000
females nesting annually by 2002.
On the other side of the Pacic, in
the nutrient-rich waters that surround
the Baja California Peninsula, a
similar tale could be heard. As early
as the 1970s, Mexican shermen
reported seeing fewer and fewer
turtles, long considered a delicacy
at traditional feasts. Even after the
Mexican government outlawed the
eating of turtles in 1990, as many
as 35,000 turtles are still consumed
today in the Californias, particularly
during holidays such as Easter and
Christmas.
Yet little was known about the north
Pacic loggerhead. In fact, as late as
the early 1990s, it was still unknown
where Baja Californias loggerhead
turtles came from, as there were no
loggerhead nesting beaches along
the Pacic coast of Mexico. Less than
60 years ago, the rst conrmed
report of their existence in the area
was made in 1947, and conrmation
that the species did indeed live in
the area came only in the 1960s.
Better knowledge of this species,
based on scientically accurate
information, was critically needed
Introduction:
Research Story of the North
Pacic Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Irene Kinan and
Dr. Wallace J. Nichols
FIGURE 1. Adelitas 1997 track from
Baja California, Mexico to Japan.
SOURCE: J. NICHOLS
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 12
to turn the tide for the declining
north Pacic loggerhead. Adelitas
historic 11-month trek across more
than 6,000 miles of Pacic Ocean
proved one leg of the trans-Pacic
turtle migration hypothesis the
return journey to nesting beaches
in Japan.

Nichols and other researchers
gured, in turn, that juvenile
loggerheads, born in Japan, must
be crossing the Pacic to feed and
mature off the coast of Baja. It
would explain why the loggerheads
being caught by Baja shermen were
mature turtles and older juveniles.
And it would further explain why
U.S. and international shing eets
in the north Pacic were interacting
with young juvenile loggerheads
as bycatch in longline shing
operations.
Then in 1999, another piece of puzzle
fell into place. A Mexican sherman
came forth with a ipper tag he
had removed from a loggerhead he
had caught off the Baja California
coast and stuck on his keychain for
ve years. Initially afraid to report
his capture of a threatened species,
the sherman revealed his nd after
working with and trusting turtle
researchers.
The tag was from a turtle hatched
on Yakushima Island, where a third
of Japans loggerheads nest. Raised
for one year at Okinawa Aquarium
by Drs. Teruya and Uchida, it was
tagged with the small metal tag
#572 and released in 1988. In 1994
(two years before Adelita began her
epic journey), it was captured in San
Carlos, Baja California Sur, Mexico,
by the sherman who nally revealed
his nd in 1999.
This was such a great nd,
considering the paucity of tag returns
common in turtle research, says
Nichols. The small turtle, which
began its journey as a 6-inch, hand-
sized juvenile, made the 6,000-plus
mile trip in the time it took me to
get my Ph.D. six years!
This opened exciting, new working
opportunities among scientists,
shermen and conservationists
in Japan, Hawaii, California,
and Mexico, explains Nichols
of the growth in international
collaborations of the Pacic
loggerhead. The turtle has become
a cultural ambassador for countries
all working to protect this species,
an icon for the connectedness of
the ocean, he adds.
These international research
collaborations over the last decade
have yielded new data that have
transformed what we know about
the turtle called the Pacic
Ocean ambassador, as well as the
Pacic Ocean itself. New scientic
data, improved technologies, and
expanded international cooperation
have resulted in major discoveries
in understanding the life cycle,
migrations, feeding ecology and
pelagic behaviors of this species.
New scientic tools range from aerial
surveys, satellite telemetry combined
with oceanography to new shing
methods, including educational
outreach and community workshops
and festivals.
Bringing together scientic research
and creative education, shermen
and community leaders have
launched a diverse community-based
outreach initiative in Baja that ranges
from tagging turtles to presenting
plays about turtles to school
children. This innovative, community
networking approach appears to
be gaining momentum for both
sea turtle conservation and marine
resource management as a whole.
Today, the work proceeds on many
fronts, guided by holistic recovery
strategies that attempt to address
threats to the entire life cycle
of these ancient and long-lived
creatures; by multilateral and
cooperative conservation efforts
among nations, and by institutional
strengthening through an expanding
conservation framework that
combines biological, socio-economic,
political and conservation measures
on both sides of the Pacic Ocean.
The papers in this document not
only prole the challenges ahead to
protect north Pacic loggerheads,
but also the lessons learned and
scientic achievements made over
the last few years of conservation.
13
INTRODUCTION
The loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta
caretta, is a highly migratory species.
Hatchlings leave their nesting area in
Japan for developmental and foraging
habitats in the eastern Pacic
(Uchida and Teruya 1988; Bowen
et al. 1995). After spending years
in the offshore waters along the
Pacic coast of California, USA and
Baja California, Mexico, loggerhead
turtles return to Japanese waters for
reproduction (Resendiz et al. 1998;
Nichols et al. 2000).
As a result of the dedication and
hard work of an extensive network
involving many independent eld
teams in Japan, annual census data
are available from most nesting
beaches. These data indicate that
there has been a substantial decline
(50-90%) in the size of the annual
loggerhead nesting population in
Japan during the last half of the
20th century and that the current
population level is considerably
lower than the population levels of
the other ocean basins, although it
starts on a gradual recovery trend
(Kamezaki et al. 2003). For example,
in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002,
2003 and 2004 seasons, a total of
2,447, 2,255, 2,589, 3,122, 4,035,
4,519 and 4,854 loggerhead nests,
respectively, were recorded on
Japanese beaches.
Nesting Beach Management
of Eggs and Pre-emergent
Hatchlings of North Pacic
Loggerhead Sea Turtles in Japan
1
Dr. Yoshimasa Matsuzawa
The Sea Turtle
Association of Japan
In contrast to dedicated nesting
survey, hatching success and number
of emergence for clutches in situ
are hardly examined systematically
in many rookeries. However,
owing to various factors such as
beach use by tourist, predation,
inundation, erosion, and excessive
heat (Matsuzawa et al. 2002),
mortality of eggs and pre-emergent
hatchlings seem to be unusually high
in Japanese rookeries. For example,
hatching success in the Minabe-Senri
beach were 24% (1996), 50% (1997),
53% (1998), 48% (1999), 62% (2000),
41% (2001), 34% (2002) (Matsuzawa
unpublished data). It should be
noticed that these gures do not
include many clutches that were
washed out and were not examined.
The greatest rookeries in Japan
occur at Yakushima Island. These
beaches were included in the
list of the important wetlands of
Ramsar Convention in November
2004. The Inakahama Beach suffers
environmental disruption including
beach erosion and light pollution.
Nesting females and hatchlings are
disturbed by headlight of cars passing
on the road behind the beach, which
used to be screened off by pine trees.
Whenever a typhoon passes by the
island, many nests are washed out
1
Final Report to the Western Pacic Regional Fishery Management Council, Contract No. 04-WPC-011.
NOAA award #: NA03NMF4110017 and NA03NMF4110164. Due to the delay in producing these proceedings,
results from both the 2004 and 2005 nesting season are consolidated into this one report.
or inundated. Moreover, last few
years it was found that egg and pre-
emergent mortality were relatively
high mainly due to stomping by
tourists that has been increasing
year by year (Kudo et al. 2004).
Considering the current status of this
nesting population, some aggressive
actions at nesting beaches are
required to address environmental
and anthropogenic threats. The
purpose of this project is to reduce
the mortality rate of loggerhead
turtles eggs and pre-emergent
hatchlings from stomping, beach
erosion, and extreme temperatures
at loggerhead-nesting beaches
in Japan to bolster hatchling
production.
In 2004 and 2005, the Sea Turtle
Association of Japan acquired
funding assistance from the
Western Pacic Regional Fishery
Management Council to assist with
management activities to address
the above mentioned threats to
loggerhead nesting beaches. In
2004, four beaches were included in
the project: Inakahama, Maehama,
Minabe-Senri, and Hii-Horikiri. In
2005, a fth project site was added
at Myojinyama-Oida beach.
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 14
METHODS
Yakushima Island
Inakahama Beach is located in
Kamiyaku-town, Yakushima Island,
Kagoshima prefecture (Figure 1).
This 1.2 km long beach is the
greatest rookery in Japan. Maehama
Beach is next to Inakahama Beach
across a river. This 1.6 km long beach
is the second greatest rookery in
Japan. Daily and nightly patrols were
conducted on these two beaches
during nesting season and following
incubation season from April to
October. When a new nest was found
below the high tide mark or on slopes
beside streams, it was immediately
relocated to a safer area.
Nesting densities in these beaches
were relatively high. Therefore,
the best method identied to
mark individual nests is by use of
underground coils. A proportion
of the clutches were marked with
underground-coil markers. To protect
eggs and hatchlings from visitors
walking on nests, areas of high
nesting density were surrounded
with rope from July 15
th
through the
end of the nesting season (Figure 2).
Short sticks were put in the sand
adjacent to nests when the rst
hatchling emergence events or
hatchlings tracks for the nests were
observed. Nest marked with coil
markers were excavated about 10
days after rst hatchlings emergence,
or expected date of emergence,
to evaluate and estimate hatching
success. Sand temperatures at the
depth of 40 cm were measured using
data loggers.
Minabe, Atsumi
and Miyazaki
Minabe-Senri beach, Minabe town,
Wakayama prefecture is one of most
important loggerhead rookeries
on the main island of Japan. In
some seasons, loggerhead clutches
nested in this beach exhibit very low
hatching success (less than 10%)
due to heat and inundation. Sand
temperatures at the depth of 40 cm
were measured using data loggers.
All-night beach patrol was conducted
throughout the nesting season, turtle
nests were marked with sticks, and
turtle eggs close to drift line were
relocated to an area of elevation
within a few hours of oviposition
(Figure 3). In order to protect eggs
and pre-emergent hatchlings from
the heat, the nests were sprinkled
with water
2
when sand temperature
at nest depth exceeds the threshold
in the post-rainy season (Figure 4).
Safety nets were set on expected egg
chambers to protect pre-emergent
hatchlings from predation (Figure 5).
Hii-Horikiri Beach, Atsumi town, Aichi
prefecture is located at the tip of the
Atsumi peninsula. This 3.6 km long
beach has suffered serious beach
erosion due to upstream dams and
jetties of ports. Then the beach was
armored with ranges of tetrapods
FIGURE 6. Beached armored with concrete
blocks that prevent loggerheads from
nesting in preferred habitat, close to the
vegetation.
FIGURE 1. Loggerhead turtle nesting
beach locations in of this project.
FIGURE 2. Fences to protect nests from
human activities.
FIGURE 3. Staff relocating nests laid in
erosion prone areas to safer location.
FIGURE 4. Watering of nests to reduce
extreme temperatures.
FIGURE 5. Protective measure to protect
nests and hatchlings from predation.
2
The Councils Turtle Advisory Committee discussed the benets of watering nests to reduce extreme (lethal)
temperatures and concluded that this is a viable solution and encouraged the project implement this management
measure.
15 Nesting Beach Management of Eggs and Pre-emergent Hatchlings of North Pacic Loggerhead Sea Turtles in Japan
(concrete blocks) between the
shoreline and the vegetation line
(Figure 6). These blocks obstruct
loggerhead females from proceeding
close to vegetation line. As a result,
females are forced to nest close to
shoreline at this beach, and almost
all eggs are eventually washed out
or drowned. All eggs at this beach
were relocated to an open hatchery
located in safety zone.
Myojinyama-Oida Beach, is located
north of Miyazaki city, where
constructions of a big port and an
airport caused serious beach erosion.
This 6 km long beach accommodates
many nesting females that come
ashore to nest in the southern
eroded beaches. However, this area
also suffered serious beach erosion
when many typhoons approached
this area successively last autumn.
Consequently, there are few safe
areas for turtles to nest. This area
was included in the project for the
2005 season.
RESULTS
Landing and nesting
The nesting season for both the
2004 and 2005 season started on
April 21
st
. This date is the earliest
ever recorded for loggerhead nesting
in Japan. Although, in some other
southern islands the nesting season
started much earlier.
2004 Season
At the Inakahama and Maehama
Beaches, a total of 2,014 clutches
were laid during the 2004 nesting
season (Table 1 and Figure 7). This
total is about 1.24 times that of last
season (in 2003). One remarkable
development of this season was
the low nesting success. Only
43.6 % of landing turtles completed
egg chambers in 2004 compared to
60 to 70% nesting success in previous
seasons. This may be a consequence
of dry sand, which causes easy
FIGURE 7. The number of clutches laid on Inakahama Beach and Maehama Beach
throughout the 2004 nesting season.
corruptions of egg chambers.
Additionally, many uncontrolled
eco-tourists seemed to disturb
females on the beach.
At the Minabe-Senri Beach, the
nesting season started on April 21
and ended on August 6. It was also
the earliest ever recorded. A total of
92 clutches were laid during the 2004
season. The total number of nests in
this season is about 1.23 times that
of last season. The nesting success
was also the lowest ever recorded
(only 32.2%).
At the Hii-Horikiri Beach, the number
of nests decreased compared to last
season. In 2004, only 14 clutches
were laid compared to 29 during the
2003 season. This might be related
to the Kuroshio Current and a cold
water-mass off shore of this rookery;
other adjacent rookeries also had
lower nesting this season.
2005 Season
During the 2005 nesting season, a
total of 1,758 clutches were laid at
Inakahama and Maehama Beaches
(Table 2 and Figure 8). The total
number of nests during the 2005
season was about 0.87 times that
of the 2004 season. One remarkable
development of this season was that
the northeast half of the Maehama
beach that eroded in 2004 could not
be used by nesting females until
the beach was nourished articially
in May of 2005. The lower nesting
success in April and May of 2005 may
thus be related to this matter.
At the Minabe-Senri Beach, the
nesting season started on May 22nd
and ended on August 20th. A total of
121 clutches were laid (Table 3). The
total number of nests in this season
is about 1.3 times that of last season.
The nesting success was 52.4%. At
the Horikiri Beach, the number of
nests increased. In 2005, 29 clutches
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 16
were laid compared to 14 last season.
The nesting success was 51.8%. At
the Myojinyama-Oida Beach, a total
of 183 clutches were laid during this
season (Table 3). The nesting success
was 72.0%.

RELOCATION AND
MARKING OF NESTS
2004 Season
To save eggs from erosion prone
areas, we conducted nightly patrols
and relocated 16,511 eggs from
140 clutches on Inakahama Beach,
7,476 eggs from 65 clutches on
Maehama Beach, 1,153 eggs from
14 clutches on Hii-Horikiri Beach,
and 19 clutches on Minabe-Senri
Beach during the 2004 nesting
season (Table 4). Ninety relocated
nests and 291 in situ nests were
marked with underground-coil
markers in the two beaches of
Yakushima Island to assist in
quantifying the hatch success of
relocated nests (Table 5).
2005 Season
During the 2005 nesting season,
we conducted nightly patrols and
relocated 123 clutches on the
Inakahama Beach, 171 clutches on
the Maehama Beach, 3,473 eggs
from 33 clutches on the Minabe-Senri
Beach, and 2,493 eggs from 29
clutches on the Hii-Horikiri Beach,
and 114 clutches on the Myojinyama-
Oida Beach to save nests from
erosion prone areas (Table 6). At the
Inakahama Beach and the Maehama
Beach, 260 and 96 clutches were
marked with underground-coil
markers to quantify hatch success of
in situ versus relocated nests. Mean
clutch size in Yakushima was 111.7.
Weather conditions
During the 2004 nesting season,
there was relatively little rain during
the rainy season, but beaches
FIGURE 8. The number of clutches laid on Inakahama Beach and Maehama Beach
throughout the 2005 nesting season.
17
suffered a record number of typhoons
(Figure 9). In the middle of June,
unseasonal typhoons struck the Japan
archipelago one after the other;
Typhoon N.4 approached closest
to Yakushima Island on June 10 and
hit Minabe and Atsumi on June 11,
and Typhoon No.6 on June 20 and
21. After Typhoon No. 10 hit Minabe
at the end of July, the project sites
suffered other typhoons without
a break until the end of incubation
season. Among them, Typhoon
No. 16 at the end of August caused
immense harm to Yakushima and a
half stretch of Maehama Beach was
washed away. In all project sites,
a few nests were drowned and/or
washed out with data loggers and
post-emergent nests accordingly. In
Minabe, sand temperatures remained
higher than 31.6 in July and August
excepting temporal drops on typhoon
approached. On the other hand,
sand temperatures in the Yakushima
beaches did not exceed this threshold
considerably (Fig. 10)
During the 2005 nesting season,
three typhoons landed on the main
islands of Japan. Both the Typhoon
No. 7 coming in July and Typhoon
No. 11 in August hitting Atsumi
were relatively small and weak. But
Typhoon No. 14 in September was
very powerful. It hit the project sites
in the Yakushima Island with full force
on September 5th and 6th. And to
make things worse, it coincided with
the fall spring tide. A half stretch of
the Maehama Beach, which had been
articially nourished in May, was
washed away and collapsed again.
Even the ropes and sticks fencing
the high-nesting density areas in the
higher elevation of the two beaches
were also washed away.
Because Typhoon No. 14 approached
from the south of the main islands
of Japan and hit the western Japan,
other three project sites also suffered
huge surge and concentrated heavy
FIGURE 10. Sand temperatures at Inakahama (A) and Maehama (B) beaches. Arrows
indicate typhoons affecting beaches. The temperature data were measured in the
vegetation.
FIGURE 9. Annual number of Typhoons landing on Japan between 1950 and 2004.
Nesting Beach Management of Eggs and Pre-emergent Hatchlings of North Pacic Loggerhead Sea Turtles in Japan
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 18
rain, hence serious beach erosion
occurred. In all project sites,
some eggs were drowned and/or
washed out with data loggers and
post-emergent nests accordingly.
The surge reached the vegetation
line at the Minabe-Senri Beach
on September 4th. We therefore
relocated 6 in situ clutches that
were in danger of inundation to
safer, higher elevation.
Additionally, the 2005 season also
witnessed record heat. At Minabe,
sand temperatures were kept higher
than 31.6 in the post rainy season
excepting temporal drops on typhoon
approached (Figure 11). We therefore
sprinkled nests with water almost
everyday. On the other hand, sand
temperatures in the beaches in
Yakushima and Miyazaki did not
exceed this threshold considerably.
INCUBATION AND
EMERGENCE
2004 Season
The rst emergence of hatchlings
occurred on June 30, 2004 in
Maehama Beach and on July 10, 2004
in Inakahama Beach. After this date,
hatchlings emerged from at least
637 clutches on Inakahama Beach,
and from at least 485 clutches on
Maehama Beach (Figure 11). Very
few emergences were found in
September and October.
Based on the equation provided
by Matsuzawa et al. (2002), the
expected due date for the clutch
nested on May 31, 2004, was July 31,
2004. After this date, the number of
daily nests due (smoothed with a
5 days running mean) was calculated
from the daily number of nests and
expected incubation period (Figure
12). These results also indicated that
less clutches are due in September.
The ratios of smoothed number of
daily due nests to smoothed number
of nests from which hatchling
FIGURE 11. Sand temperatures at Yakushima, Miyazaki and Minabe beaches during the
2005 nesting season.
FIGURE 11. Daily number of nests from which the rst hatchlings emergent was
observed in 2004 at Inakahama (A) and Maehama (B) Beaches.
FIGURE 12. Number of due nests in Inakahama (A) and Maehama (B) Beaches in 2004.
Data have been smoothed with a 5 days running mean. Number of due nests were
calculated from daily number of nests and expected incubation periods based on the
following equation (Matsuzawa et al. 2002): Incubation period = 639.8 x 1 mean sand
temperature - 17.6)
-1
.
19
emergences observed was 54.4 %
in Inakahama Beach and 60.0 % in
Maehama Beach during the period
between July 31

and August 26, 2004
(Fig. 7).
2005 Season
During the 2005 nesting season,
the rst emergence of hatchlings
occurred on July 19, 2005 in the
Maehama Beach and on July 18,
2005 in the Inakahama Beach. After
then, hatchlings emerged from at
least 839 clutches from Inakahama
Beach, and from at least 603 clutches
from Maehama Beach, including
clutches without exact data of rst
emergence. Most of emergences
occurred in August (Figure 13). As for
clutches marked with underground-
coil markers, hatchlings emerged
from 241 of 260 (92.7%) nests at
Inakahama Beach and 77 of 96
(80.2%) from the Maehama Beach.
Other nests were washed out or
did not produce any hatchlings.
Base on the equation given by
Matsuzawa et al. (2002), the
expected due date for the clutch
nested on May 4, 2005, was July 23,
2005. After this date, the number of
daily nests due (smoothed with a 5
days running mean) were calculated
from daily number of nests and
expected incubation period (Figure
14). Sixteen clutches and seven
clutches nested before May 4 in the
two beaches were not included in the
gure. This result also indicated that
not as many nests were expected
to hatch in September. Only 46
clutches (4.6%) in the Inakahama and
37 clutches (4.5%) in the Maehama
were estimated to be due after the
Typhoon 14 hit the sites.
Hatching success
2004 Season
At Inakahama Beach, 331 of 1,245
clutches laid were examined. Luckily,
most hatchlings had emerged before
FIGURE 13. Daily number of nests from which hatchlings emerged in Inakahama and
Maehama Beaches in 2005.
FIGURE 14. Number of due nests in Inakahama and Maehama Beaches in
2005. Data have been smoothed with a 5 days running mean.
the big Typhoon No. 16 struck. The
mean overall hatching success was
78.2% (28,566 of 36,525 eggs). Of
the 331 clutches examined, 286
were in situ and 45 were relocated
(see Table 3). The hatching success
of in situ compared to relocated
clutches at Inakahama Beach was
80.5 and 63.3%, respectively. In
Maehama Beach, 150 of 769 clutches
were excavated. The mean overall
hatching success was 70.1% (11,799
of 16,834 eggs). Of the 150 clutches
examined, 140 were in situ and 10
were relocated. The hatching success
of in situ compared to relocated
clutches at Maehama Beach was 70.4
and 65.8%, respectively. Supposing
that all other unexamined clutches
were washed out when the Typhoon
No. 16 approached on August 27, we
can apply the same hatching success
and clutch size to the 819 and 540
unexamined clutches nested by July
11. In this estimation, 99,239 and
54,281 total hatchlings were produced
in Inakahama Beach and Maehama
Beach, respectively (Table 7).
Among 92 clutches in Minabe-Senri
Beach, thirty-three (35.9%) clutches
including 13 post-emergent clutches
were washed out. Hatching success
for 17 relocated clutches was 30.2%
Nesting Beach Management of Eggs and Pre-emergent Hatchlings of North Pacic Loggerhead Sea Turtles in Japan
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 20
(590 of 1,952 eggs), whereas
hatching success for 42 in situ
clutches was 44.8% (2,062 of 4,599
eggs). Applying these clutch size and
hatching success to one relocated
clutch and 12 in situ clutches from
which hatchlings emerged before
they were washed out, then we
would have expected 35 hatchlings
and 1,314 hatchlings from these
unexamined clutches. Therefore, it is
estimated that 3,276 total hatchlings
were produced in this beach.
Although the hatchery in Hii-Horikiri
Beach was located in the vegetation
area, it was inundated frequently.
Consequently, two clutches and
a data logger were washed out,
and many embryos died during
incubation. From 1,153 eggs of
12 clutches, 171 hatchlings were
produced; the mean hatching
success was 14.8 %.
2005 Season
At Inakahama Beach, mean hatching
success of 312 in situ nests and
86 relocated nests were 83.4% and
70.2%, respectively. At the Maehama
Beach, mean hatching success of 246
in situ nests and 28 relocated nests
were 74.6% and 68.0%, respectively.
Piecing together these hatchling
successes with mean clutch size of
111.7 and percentage of clutches
from which any hatchlings emerged,
it is expected that 70,640 hatchlings
from in situ nests and 8,941
hatchlings from relocated nests
were produced from Inakahama
Beach and 43,172 hatchlings from
in situ nests and 10,417 hatchlings
from relocated nests were produced
from Maehama Beach (Table 8).
Among 121 clutches in the Minabe-
Senri Beach, nine (7.4%) clutches
including 4 post-emergent clutches
were washed out and 8 clutches were
predated. Hatching success for the
33 relocated clutches was 41% (1,426
of 3,473 eggs), whereas hatching
success for 71 in situ clutches was
48.9% (3,641 of 7,446 eggs). These
hatch success rates are better than
those during last season. Applying
mean clutch size of 105 and mean
hatching success of 48.9% to the
4 in situ clutches from which
hatchlings were emerged before
they were washed out, then we
can expect 205 more hatchlings
from these unexamined clutches.
Therefore, it was estimated that
totally, 5,272 hatchlings were
produced in this beach. This number
is about 1.6 times the estimation
of last season.
Although the hatchery in the
Hii-Horikiri Beach was located
in the vegetation area, it was
inundated. Consequently, data
loggers were washed out before
they could be recovered. From
2,493 eggs of 29 clutches, 1,414
hatchlings were produced; the
mean hatching success was 56.7%.
At Myojinyama-Oida Beach, 183
total clutches were laid and 114
were relocated. Of the relocated
clutches, 35 (30.7%) were washed
out or predated. Hatching success for
the other 79 relocated clutches was
74.6% (6,117 of 8,205 eggs). Assuming
that clutch size, hatching success,
and ratio of damage by wave and
predation were the same between
relocated clutches and in situ
clutches, it is estimated that 3,710
hatchlings were produced from
69 in situ clutches.
CONCLUSION
The most critical component of
understanding the functioning of a
nesting beach is to understand its
productivity. This project supported
nightly beach patrols to monitor
and management activities to
reduce impacts and maximize
hatchling production through the
successful relocation of nests laid
in erosion prone areas. Additionally,
researchers identied new sources
of environmental threats (i.e., high
21
beach temperatures and extreme
erosion due to weather and beach
armoring) that have the potential to
signicantly impact the productivity
of nesting beaches of Japan. The
project has plans to mitigate these
impacts during the upcoming 2005
nesting season.
In 2004, the Sea Turtle Association
of Japan acquired funding assistance
from the Western Pacic Regional
Fishery Management Council
3

(Council) to assist with management
activities to reduce the mortality
rate of loggerhead turtles eggs
and pre-emergent hatchlings from
stomping (beach use), beach erosion,
and extreme temperatures at four
Japanese loggerhead-nesting beaches
at Inakahama, Maehama, Minabe-
Senri, and Hii-Horikiri. In 2005, the
project was expanded to include
Myojinyama-Oida Beach.

In 2004, management activities were
supported to maximize hatchling
production and save nests laid in
erosion prone areas. In total, 240
nests were relocated from certain
destruction, and restrictions (such
as fences) were placed at high
density nesting areas to reduce
anthropogenic impacts from foot
trafc and beach use. Approximately
157,000 total hatchlings were
released from the four study sites
(Table 7), and the hatching success
rate ranged from 70.4 to 80.5% for
in situ nests and 63.3 to 65.8% for
relocated nests at Inakahama and
Maehama Beaches.
In March 2005, the Councils
Turtle Advisory Committee
(TAC) reviewed this project and
encouraged management actions
and experimental research to further
reduce environmental impacts.
To reduce impacts from extreme
weather, namely erosion (due to
typhoons and other beach conditions
associated with beach armoring), the
TAC strongly encouraged additional
relocation of clutches (within the
constraints of project logistics),
since it is evident that the project
is producing more hatchlings from
the beach by management efforts
to relocate clutches [if eggs are not
relocated, zero percent hatchling
production results]. The project
leaders recognize that other kinds
of effects due to relocation are
unknown, but any level of hatch
success (even 10%) is better than
zero percent. If one wants to think
in terms of adults, a beach needs to
produce a lot of hatchlings to produce
an adult some decades later. The
TAC thus encouraged the project
to move hundreds of clutches to
maximize hatchling production to
have those extra adults in the future.
The TAC further supported that the
project experiment with watering
of nests in effort to reduce extreme
temperatures at project sites.
Based on the advice from the
TAC, and after acquiring greater
understanding regarding the goals
and objectives of the Council,
the project was able to rene the
projects results to calculate the
number of hatchlings released due to
management intervention. During the
2005 nesting season, 470 nests were
relocated (Table 8). It is estimated
that these relocated nests resulted
in the release of approximately
28,315 hatchlings that would have
otherwise been lost to erosion
or other environmental impacts.
In total, 149,478 hatchlings were
produced at the ve project sites
(Table 8). The hatching success rate
ranged from 74.6 to 83.4% for in situ
nests and 56.7 to 70.2% for relocated
nests at Inakahama and Maehama
Beaches. Of total hatchlings produced,
approximately 19% were a result of
management activities to relocate
eggs laid in erosion prone areas.
REFERENCES
Bowen, B.W., F.A. Abreu-Grobois, G.H.
Balazs, N. Kamezaki, C.J. Limpus
and R.J. Ferl. 1995. Trans-Pacic
migration of the loggerhead turtle
(Caretta caretta) demonstrated
with mitochondrial DNA markers.
Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. 92: 3731-
3734.
Kamezaki, N., Y. Matsuzawa, O. Abe,
H. Asakawa, T. Fujii, K. Goto, S.
Hagino, M. Hayami, M. Ishii, T.
Iwamoto, T. Kamata, H. Kato, J.
Kodama, Y. Kondo, I. Miyawaki,
K. Mizobuchi, Y. Nakamura, Y.
Nakashima, H. Naruse, K. Omuta,
M. Samejima, H. Suganuma,
H. Takeshita, T. Tanaka, T. Toji,
M. Uematsu, A. Yamamoto, T.
Yamato, and I. Wakabayashi.
2003. Loggerhead Turtles Nesting
in Japan. In: Loggerhead Sea
Turtles. Edited by A.B. Bolten and
B.E. Witherington. Smithsonian
Institution. P.p. 210-217.
Kudo, H. Murakami, A. Watanabe, S.
2003. Effects of sand hardness
and human beach use on
emergence success of loggerhead
sea turtles on Yakushima Island,
Japan. Chelonian Conservation
and Biology, 4(3): 695-696.
Matsuzawa, Y. Sato, K. Sakamoto,
W. Bjorndal, K. A. 2002. Seasonal
uctuations in sand temperature:
effects on the incubation period
and mortality of loggerhead
sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
pre-emergent hatchlings in
Minabe, Japan. Marine Biology,
140(3):639-646.
3
Interactions with threatened loggerhead sea turtles have the potential to compromise the long-term continuity of U.S. pelagic longline sheries. The Western Pacic Regional Fishery
Management Council (Council), the federal management authority of sheries operating in the Pacic Islands Region, has therefore implemented an integrated approach to sea turtle
conservation to address anthropogenic and environmental threats to turtles in various phases of their life history. In 2004, the Council began supporting nesting beach management
actions in Japan, because 100% of the loggerhead turtle/shery interactions by the Hawaii-based longline shery occur with the north Pacic loggerhead turtle nesting stock.
Nesting Beach Management of Eggs and Pre-emergent Hatchlings of North Pacic Loggerhead Sea Turtles in Japan
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 22
Nichols, W.J., A. Resendiz and C.
Mayoral-Russeau. 2000. Biology
and conservation of
loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta)
in Baja California, Mexico.
In: Proceedings of the 19th
Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle
Conservation and Biology. NOAA
Tech-Memo NMFS-SEFSC-443.
Pp. 169-171.
Resendiz, A., B. Resendiz, J. Nichols,
J. Seminoff, N. Kamezaki.
1998. First conrmed east
west transpacic movement
of a loggerhead sea turtle,
Caretta caretta, released in Baja
California, Mexico. Pacic Science
52: 151-153.
Uchida, S. Teruya, H. 1988.
Transpacic Migration of a
Tagged Loggerhead, Caretta
caretta and Tag- Return Results
of Loggerheads Released From
Okinawa Island, Japan. In:
Uchida, I. ed., Proceedings of
International Symposium on Sea
Turtles in 1988 in Japan. Himeji
City Aquarium, Himeji City,
Japan. p69-182.
23
The Sea Turtle Situation
of Yakushima Island
Kazuyoshi Ohmuta
The Sea Turtle
Association of Japan
INTRODUCTION
The circumference of Yakushima
Island, Kagoshima prefecture in
southern Japan is approximately
130 kilometers, surrounded by the
East China Sea and the Pacic Ocean.
The three primary sea turtle nesting
beaches, Maehama, Inakahama and
Yotsusehama, are on the northern
side of the island associated with
Nagata, Kamiyaku-town (Figure 1).
Together, these beaches comprise
approximately 40% of all loggerhead
nesting in Japan (Kamezaki et al.,
2003). The Sea Turtle Museum,
Umigame Kong, is also located at
Inakahama Beach.
Inakahama Beach, is about one
kilometer long, but the shore line
changes as the season change. In
May and June, there is more sand,
but sand erodes during the nesting
season and the beach becomes quite
rocky. Maehama Beach is about 600
meters long and is protected with
concrete berms, and Yotsusehama
Beach is approximately 240 meters
long. Unfortunately, sand erosion is
very serious problem at Maehama
(Figure 2). During the winter, typhoon
season, the sand is drastically
removed.
FIGURE 1. Birds eye view of the three primary nesting beaches of beaches Yakushima
Island: Maehama, Inakahama and Yotsusehama beaches.
FIGURE 2. Maehama beach sand erosion following a typhoon.
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 24
CONSERVATION RESEARCH
About 500 loggerhead turtles come
to lay eggs at the three beaches of
Yakushima Island. There are also green
turtles, but the greatest percentage
are loggerhead turtles. Research is
undertaken from May to September
and work is conducted by about 40 to
50 volunteers. Thanks to the volunteer
program, research has ourished
(Figure 3). There is a dormitory for
volunteers that houses a maximum
of six volunteers at one time.
We estimate that the program tags
about 99% of turtles that nesting
at Yakushima Island (Figure 4). In
addition to tagging and measuring,
however, our project transplants
eggs that are laid in erosion prone
areas to safer locations, and
undertakes studies on hatchling
success to gather information on the
reproductive success of turtles, as well
as understand the hatch success of
relocated nests.
We also have a project to tag
hatchlings with Passive Integrated
Transponders (PIT) tags. Between
1988 and 2004, the project has PIT
tagged 1,450 hatchlings (Figure 5).
There are two main purposes for this
study, one is to see how long it will
take the turtles to become sexually
mature, and the other is to see if they
will return to the home beach. We
estimate that loggerhead turtles from
Yakushima grow into mature females
in about 29 years. Hopefully, this will
be conrmed with the PIT tags. Im
assuming that these turtles will go
to Baja, so please take care of them.
Based on research and beach
monitoring surveys, Figure 6 is
a graph of the number of female
turtles landing (top line), and
nesting (bottom line). As you can
see the number of both landing and
nesting individuals were increasing
until about 1991, then gradually
decreasing until 2002, and then
increasing through 2004 (Figure 6).
MANAGEMENT MEASURES
In 1973, laws were enacted to
prohibit people from eating sea
turtle eggs. The law was limited rst
to Yakushima Island, but in 1988, a
similar law was enacted for the entire
Kagoshima Prefecture. Additionally,
up until 1999, there were many kinds
of shing operations near the coast
of Yakushima, but sh catch rates
FIGURE 3. Volunteers and staff at the sea
turtle museum (Mr. Omuta, center).
FIGURE 4. Measuring a loggerhead turtle
nesting at Yakushima Island.
FIGURE 5. Researcher PIT tagging a
loggerhead hatchling.
FIGURE 6. Number of female loggerhead turtles emerging (top line) and nesting
(bottom line) at Yakushima Island between 1985 and 2004.
25
decreased and poundnet and gillnet
shing stopped. Since 1999, shing
pressure near Yakushima Island has
no longer been a problem.
In Figure 6, the nesting numbers
decrease from 1991 to 1999. However,
nesting numbers have increased
since 1999. In 2002, the nesting
numbers have doubled and continued
to increase. It is my estimation that
the reason for the drastic increase of
nesting females from 2001 to 2004
is due to the law enactment in 1973.
People are no longer eating sea turtle
eggs. So those eggs (hatchlings) are
now coming back as nesting females.
Hatching success rates are
inuenced by typhoons (as discussed
in Matsuzawas paper of these
proceedings) and beach use by people
or tourists at Yakushima Island. To
reduce foot trafc and protect nests
from stomping, we mark areas to keep
people away, or off of nests (Figure 7).
For the sake of sea turtles, we would
like to put a fence all around the
beach, but that is not possible, so
we place fences where the highest
density of nests are laid.
FIGURE 7. Fence placed around highest density nesting areas for conservation.
FIGURE 8. The public listening to a sea
turtle presentation.
We would like to begin restricting
beach access at Inakahama Beach
in July, but cannot because this is
when we have the most tourists and
so we need to focus on education.
Fences are placed in August. We
know that the fences increase
hatchling success, because data
suggests a 10 percent increase
in August compared to July. In
comparison, at Maehama Beach
where tourism was less during
summer (2004), there was a 14
percent increase in hatchling success
versus Inakahama.
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
Sea turtles have become popular
for ecotourism at Yakushima, and
the number of visitors coming to
see turtles has increased over the
past few years. At Inakahama Beach,
we have therefore begun a project
to show local tourist nesting sea
turtles (Figure 8). We give talks
about turtles, and elementary school
students come to learn about sea
turtles (Figure 9). Public education
and outreach are big parts of our
program to conserve loggerhead
turtles at Yakushima Island.
FIGURE 9. School kids learning what is like
to be a turtle and dig a nest.
The Sea Turtle Situation of Yakushima Island
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 26
QUESTIONS
Mr. Limpus: Could you explain just
a little bit more about the pit tag of
the hatchlings? How many pit tags,
how many tags on each turtle and
what sort of tags are they?
Mr. Dutton: As a related question,
Im particularly interested in the
brand.
Mr. Ohmuta: Troban. One per turtle.
Mr. Dutton: Size? Are they just
standard 14 or 12 millimeter.
Mr. Ohmuta: 11 millimeters.
Mr. Limpus: How many years has he
been doing the pit tagging on the
hatchlings.
Mr. Ohmuta: Four years.
Mr. Pilcher: Have any of the
hatchlings being kept in captivity
after being pit-tagged to check for
whether there is any impact on
survival of the hatchling from using
the pit tag?
Mr. Ohmuta: There is an aquarium
that has done it at Minamichi, and
their study indicates that it doesnt
affect the survival of hatchlings.
Mr. Balazs: Are they inserted into the
body cavity or where exactly are they
inserted?
Mr. Ohmuta: In the cavity.
Mr. Aguirre: Have you recovered any
of those tags?
Mr. Ohmuta: None.
Mr. Dutton: An issue for further
discussion is the chances of detecting
those, if they are surviving, you are
more likely -- there are opportunities
where observers are catching turtles
in sheries, in high seas sheries,
and on the foraging grounds. But
they are only going to detect the
pit tags if they are using scanners.
So perhaps I would be interested to
have further discussion of the various
people that are catching juvenile
turtles on foraging grounds. If no one
is looking for those pit tags with the
right equipment, were missing on
opportunity.
Mr. Ohmuta: Im looking forward to
further discussion about this issue.
Thank you.
Mr. Peckham: Mizuno has been
coming over to Baja and has been
using a scanner on the small
juveniles, as well as dead ones the
beach. Over the last two summers,
hes probably looked at 200 or 250 or
so, and has not found any tags. But
the turtles might be too large, were
not sure.
Ms. Kinan: Does he have plans to
continue pit tagging?
Mr. Ohmuta: I would like to put
more pit tags on turtles, but since
its expensive equipment, I need to
discuss with people on how to go
about this.
Dr. Limpus: I commend you for the
innovative approach to tagging
hatchlings. I do have a question that
I would like to get an answer, not
now, but with collectively perhaps
from the group, if you could give
us an answer. You are using an
extremely sharp needle to inject
an object into the body cavity of
a hatchling. I would like to know
that there has been a veterinary
examination to establish that
you are not seriously injuring the
digestive tract because where you
inject is right next to the stomach
of the turtles. And I would like
to be satised from a veterinary
perspective, not just a question
of how the little turtles survive for
awhile in the aquarium and that
might require internal examination
by a veterinarian. But so not an
answer right now, but if someone
could give me an answer please.
Mr. Dutton: While we were on the
subject of pit-tagging, one of my
favorite subjects, you mentioned you
have been looking for effective ways
of tagging the adults with external
ipper tags. I would also urge you
that if you get funding to do more
pit-tagging that you also consider
pit-tagging the adults to allow you to
evaluate tag retention and also more
effective long-term tagging of your
turtles.
Mr. Ohmuta: Were going to put 500
pit tags on adult sea turtles this year.
27
The Current Status
of Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Rookeries in Miyazaki, Japan
Hiroshi Takeshita
Miyazaki Wildlife
Research Group
INTRODUCTION
This presentation is about the
research and conservation activities
occurring at loggerhead sea turtle
rookeries of Miyazaki, Japan (Figure
1). Miyazaki Prefecture is located
on the eastern Kyushu Island of
Japan. The coast facing the Pacic
stretches 400 kilometers. It has deeply
indented coast lines with many vast
sand beaches in the central region.
Loggerhead turtles land and nest on
these beaches (Figure 2).
I rst encountered loggerhead turtles
when I came to Miyazaki in 1971. At
the time, I recognized that about 85
percent of them were taken by people
to sell at market. I decided to try to
protect them, but the authorities were
indifferent about sea turtles in those
days. I then began walking along the
beach to count and make a record of
turtle tracks. In 1973, some members
joined my survey, and this was the
beginning of the Miyazaki Wildlife
Research Group.
RESEARCH AND
CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES
In the early days, we observed a
loggerheads behavior from landing
until the end of egg-laying. Following
nesting, we measured and tagged
the turtle with a handmade number
plate (see Figure 4). After the turtle
returned to sea, we erased the
footprints (tracks) so people wouldnt
realize the landing and presence of
FIGURE 2. The primary loggerhead
rookeries on Miyazaki Island.
FIGURE 1. Kyushu Island is the largest
southern island of Japan.
FIGURE 3. Nine sites within the 26 km
research area in the center of the
Miyazaki Prefecture.
eggs (to reduce poaching). Today our
research group surveys nine main
nesting beaches, gathered in the
center of the prefecture (Figure 3).
The beaches are bordered by rivers,
harbors and an airport.
Beach surveys start May 20th and
end August 10th every year. Between
1973 to 1979, the southern six sites
(16km) were surveyed, however,
since 1980 all nine sites have been
surveyed (total 26km). In the rst
few years, surveys were done by foot,
but in 1977, we began using cars. In
2001, we resumed walking, because
cars were prohibited on the beach.
Beaches are walked in the early in
the morning to count and record the
footprints (turtle tracks) and nesting
plots during the daytime survey.
In the night survey, the beach is
walked from 9:00 p.m. to midnight
to check for turtles and nests. If a
turtle is encountered, we observe
their behavior and record the nesting
location and take measurements
(the length of the shell, head and
ippers). We began tagging turtles in
1977 with hand made number plates
attached to the shell (Figure 4).
However, we now tag turtles in the
ipper with metal tags supplied by
the Sea Turtle Association of Japan.
In 1978, one year after tagging
in 1977, a loggerhead turtle was
recaptured in the East China Sea.
By 1984, 13 loggerheads with our
tags were recaptured in this area
(Figure 5). To date, we have tagged
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 28
suggest that turtle eggs promote
longevity or are revitalizers (i.e.,
aphrodisiacs). Therefore, we analyzed
the nutrition content of turtle eggs
(Yamaguchi et al. 1984). Our study
revealed that turtle eggs are no
more nutritious than chicken eggs,
and this information was provided to
the public through newspapers. As a
result, egg harvest was dramatically
reduced. Next, we proposed the local
government to authorize Miyazaki
a national treasure, and advertised
our survey and protection efforts
to the public to gain support. This
reduced poaching activities even
more and egg harvest has not been a
problem since 1985. This protection
has prevailed also in other areas of
Miyazaki.
Erosion, however, continues to be
a serious problem at Miyazaki. The
beaches of Miyazaki used to be
20 to 100 meters wide, with mild
slope, and bordered with natural
vegetation. It stretched 16 kilometers
from the south to north, and was one
of the main loggerhead rookeries in
Japan. In 1981, construction started
for a large port in Miyazaki City to
harbor ships as large as 20,000 tons.
To protect the port from waves,
a groin of one kilometer was also
constructed from the coast out into
the sea. There is now a yacht harbor
with breakwaters and articial beach.
Also, in 1982, construction began
to expand the airport out into the
sea. This combined construction
has caused dramatic changes in the
water and ocean current conditions
that have lead to erosion of beaches
on both sides of the construction
zone (Figure 7).
To control this erosion problem,
the local government constructed
detached breakwaters offshore
of Sumiyoshi Beach. However,
this is also not good for sea turtle
nesting activities. Erosion has
seriously degraded the beach, and
the excellent breeding habitat for
loggerheads is now threatened
(Figure 8). It is even dangerous for
people to walk along the beach.
Unfortunately, human-induced
impacts are not the only threats.
In 2004, the beach suffered from
three severe typhoons and many
FIGURE 5. Turtle recapture locations in the
East China Sea (shaded area) between
1978 and 1984.
1,460 loggerheads, and among these,
197 have been recaptured in the East
China Sea.
When our survey started in 1973,
our activities focused mainly on
identifying nesting locations and on
how to prevent egg collection. In
1976, there were 200 to 300 total
landings per year. This increased in
the mid-1980s, and by 1991, there
were 1,274 landings. We thought
this increase was the result of our
protection efforts, but the number
started to decrease thereafter. In
1997, there were only 400 landings
with less that 300 turtles nesting (the
difference between the landing and
nesting number indicates loggerheads
returning to the sea without laying
eggs). Since 2000, however, the
landing number has started to
increase, and the count exceeded
1,200 in 2004 (Figure 6).
NESTING BEACH IMPACTS
The Miyazaki Wildlife Research Group
has worked to reduce the poaching
of nest and harvest of eggs to be
sold at market. Some superstitions
FIGURE 4. Handmade tag and tag location used in Miyazaki research in 1977.
29
FIGURE 6. Numbers of loggerhead landings (dashed line) and nests (solid line) in
Miyazaki Beach. The research area has not been changed since 1985.
turtle eggs were lost. Currently, the
Miyazaki Wildlife Research Group,
along with the Sea Turtle Association
of Japan are investigating options
to protect sea turtles, such as
transplanting eggs to safer beaches
to protect them from erosion and
typhoons, and making arrangements
to use articial beaches in hopes
of imprinting hatchlings to new,
hopefully more stable, nesting
beaches.
REFERENCES
Yamaguchi, K.,H. Takeshita, T.
Deguchi, C. Haan, S. Haga, and
T. Ohashi (1984) Some Chemical
Compositions of Turtle Eggs
(Carreta caretta). Bulletin of
the Faculty of Agriculture, Univ.,
31(2):155-159.
FIGURE 7. Beach erosion at Miyazaki Beach. The picture on the left was taken in 1973 and the picture on the right in 2003.
FIGURE 8. Breakwater and beach construction impeding
nesting activities.
The Current Status of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Rookeries in Miyazaki, Japan
31
Pelagic Research of
Pacic Loggerhead Sea Turtles
in Partnership with Japan and Taiwan
George Balazs
NOAA Fisheries,
Pacic Islands Fisheries
Science Center
INTRODUCTION
The following is a joint presentation
by Dr. Jeffrey Polovina and I covering
important pelagic loggerhead
sea turtle research that we have
undertaken over the past ve years
in collaboration with our Asian
colleagues, Dr. Naoki Kamezaki of
the Sea Turtle Association of Japan
and Dr. I-Jium Cheng of the National
Taiwan Ocean University. I would like
to emphasize the point of partnership
that built the foundation for the
research results to be presented by Dr.
Polovina. Without partnerships, little
can be accomplished with a species
that spans such vast areas of the
North Pacic nations and cultures.
COASTAL POND NETS
OF JAPAN
In July 2004, I traveled to Muroto
Point, Japan in the company of Dr.
Kamezaki to learn more about the
coastal pond net shery in which
loggerheads are sometimes taken
as bycatch. Pond nets are a non-
entangling type of shery and are
common along the coast of Japan. For
years, Ive been trying to understand
what a pond net is and how it works
since this type of shing gear (also
known as trap nets) is very common
throughout coastal Asia. Dr. Cheng in
Taiwan calls them, in his publication,
set nets. To me, a set net is
something that sh and turtles swim
into and become entangled. Nothing
could be farther from the truth for
a pond net; its just a matter of
translation from Chinese into English
that has resulted in some confusion.
A pond net is something like the
pound nets used in Chesapeake
Bay, USA. But a pond net is set out
over very deep water, and can be very
large. The pond net shery I visited
at Muroto Point is a huge operation
that sometimes entraps a turtle,
but rarely entangles and drowns the
turtle. We have been fortunate in
our collaborations to have satellite
tags put on these accidentally caught
turtles. I was impressed with the
immensity of the operation, the
amount of net and the amount of
gear and nances necessary for
construction and maintenance.
These nets are used primarily to
collect pelagic sh. This is a massive
operation and very efcient sh
catchers.
FIGURE 1. Miniature model of a pond net. In reality, each sand bag which anchors the
net weighs about two tons.
FIGURE 2. Top view of miniature pond net.
Dr. Kamezaki is caught in the entrance
to the net, in the deep end which is set in
about 90 meters of water.
In a pond net (as depicted in Figure 2),
sh enter in the deep end and swim
progressively towards the other end
of the net in a step-wise fashion that
brings them up shallower and shallower.
At the end theres a guide where the sh
collect themselves, but are incapable
of swimming out. For perspective,
each one of the sandbag anchors
shown in Figure 2 weighs two tons.
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 32
Fish are captured by up to ten small
boats involving 30 to 35 men that
collect the sh by progressively
bringing the trap section of the
net closer together (Figure 3). The
netting does not normally entangle
the sh or turtles, and sh are thus
scooped out of the pond net (or trap).
Any non-target species can easily be
FIGURE 3. The process of collecting sh out of a pond net (A to D).
FIGURE 4. Movement of coastal pond net
by-catch male loggerhead turtle (#22168)
in 2002-2003, at liberty 386 days,
traveling a distance of 11,333 km.
FIGURE 5. Post-nesting tracking of
loggerhead turtle (#4805) in 2004-2005,
at liberty 219 days.
FIGURE 6. Movement of coastal pond net
bycatch loggerhead #19599 in 2004, at
liberty 225 days traveling 4,456 km.
released unharmed. Pond nets are set
out all the time, day and night. When
the typhoons come, they simply take
the oats off and sink the net, and
then raise it again after the typhoon
passes.
SATELLITE TELEMETRY
RESEARCH JAPAN
From these pond nets come many of
our live loggerhead turtle subjects
for satellite telemetry research. A
turtle that is caught in a pond net is
brought ashore, given a scrubbing,
tted with satellite tag, and then
released. It is important to note that
turtle #22168 (Figure 4) has bounced
in and out from coastal habitat, but
spent the greatest portion of its time
in pelagic habitat, as do many other
satellite-tracked turtles in our study.
The map of Figure 5 represents
an interesting result of our
collaboration, also with the Sea
Turtle Association of Japan. I had
the honor of visiting a loggerhead
nesting beach at Fukiage Beach in
Kagoshima, Japan. A satellite tag was
put on a loggerhead turtle after she
nished her nesting and swam into
an offshore ocean area. In Hawaii we
say, where theres one, theres two
or many more. The turtle has told
us, I believe, that this is an offshore
hotspot that is important for post-
nesting turtles. Further investigation
at this site is recommended.
SATELLITE TELEMETRY
RESEARCH TAIWAN
To understand the migratory
movements of North Pacic
loggerheads, we work in
collaboration with Dr. Cheng on
the Pacic coast of Taiwan. In our
project, all data are shared, and
partnerships are acknowledged. As it
turns out, the Taiwanese have similar
pond nets, only smaller and closer
A B
C D
33
FIGURE 7. George Balazs with juvenile
loggerhead turtles.
FIGURE 8. Juvenile loggerheads eager to
be released.
FIGURE 9. Satellite tracks of seven juvenile loggerheads released at sea from the
M/V Kitakami off Tokyo, Japan.
to shore compared to Muroto Point,
Japan. From these nets, loggerheads
are also captured for satellite
telemetry studies (Figure 6). Again,
many of these turtles are showing us
an important pelagic habitat in the
East China Sea.
SATELLITE TELEMETRY
RESEARCH PELAGIC
RELEASE
Another collaborative project that
has proven to be very valuable is in
Japan in association with the Port
of Nagoya Public Aquarium. In this
project, captive-reared loggerhead
turtles are released from a passenger
ship about 40 kilometers off Tokyo
in the Kuroshio Extension Current.
These turtles are raised up to one,
two and three years of age and
tted with satellite transmitters
to help our research team better
understand the pelagic habitats
used by juvenile loggerheads (Figure
7). A cargo company that sails from
Nagoya to Sendai to Hokkaido
has been extremely cooperative
in assisting this project. Two
300-meter vessels that carry 200
passengers and all sorts of cargo are
used to release turtles at sea.
The release point is the Kuroshio
Current, and it can be a very
exciting event. Turtles are put in
baskets a few at a time and the
baskets are lowered over the ships
side (Figure 8). A meter above the
surface of the water, each basket
is ipped and into the ocean the
turtles go. These juveniles swim
towards the International Date
Line and the vicinity north of the
Hawaiian Islands (Figure 9).
Pelagic Research of Pacic Loggerhead Sea Turtles in Partnership with Japan and Taiwan
This presentation is followed by
Dr. Polovina who will describe
some of the oceanographic
research results associated with
the migratory and foraging
movements of these juvenile
loggerheads in pelagic habitats
in the North Pacic.
35
The Kuroshio Extension
Current Bifurcation Region:
A Pelagic Hotspot for Juvenile
Loggerhead Sea Turtles
Dr. Jeffrey Polovina*
NOAA Fisheries, Pacic Islands
Fisheries Science Center
Itaru Uchida
Port of Nagoya Public
Aquarium, Japan
George Balazs
NOAA Fisheries, Pacic Islands
Fisheries Science Center
Evan Howell
NOAA Fisheries, Pacic Islands
Fisheries Science Center
Denise Parker
Joint Institute for Marine
and Atmospheric Research,
University of Hawaii
Dr. Peter Dutton
NOAA Fisheries, Southwest
Fisheries Science Center
This presentation summarizes the
release of 43 juvenile loggerhead
sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the
western North Pacic off of Japan
together with satellite-remotely
sensed oceanographic data identied
the Kuroshio Extension Current
Bifurcation Region (KECBR) as a
forage hotspot for these turtles.
The loggerhead turtle is a threatened
and declining species in the North
Pacic where its ecology and life
history are not well known. Juvenile
loggerheads are known to use
pelagic habitat, and some members
of the population make trans-Pacic
migrations from the Japanese nesting
beaches to coastal habitat off Baja,
Mexico. In previous studies, satellite
telemetry of 26 loggerheads in the
central North Pacic has shown that
juvenile loggerheads caught and
released from longline shing gear
appear to be long-term residents in
the oceanic North Pacic. They often
travel westward from the central
North Pacic toward the dateline,
and travel seasonally north and south
between 28 and 40 N latitude,
and they forage almost exclusively in
the top 50 m (Polovina et al., 2004;
Polovina et al., 2003). Their most
common prey are Janthina spp.,
Carinara cithara, Vella vella, Lepas
spp., Planes spp., and pyrosomas
(Parker et al., 2005).
One feature in the central North
Pacic that appears to represent an
important loggerhead forage and
migration habitat is the Transition
Zone Chlorophyll Front (TZCF)
(Polovina et al., 2004). The TZCF is
identied from satellite-remotely
sensed surface chlorophyll data as a
basin-wide surface chlorophyll front.
This front represents a boundary
between vertically stratied warm,
low-chlorophyll subtropical waters on
the south and vertically mixed, cool
high chlorophyll waters on the north
(Polovina et al., 2004; Polovina et al.,
2001).
Schematic of the Kuroshio Extension Bifurcation Region (KECBR).
* Presenting Author. This complete paper
is printed in: Deep Sea Research II 53
(2006) 326-339.
Previous satellite telemetry work
with loggerheads has focused on
describing juvenile loggerhead forage
and migration habitat primarily to
the east of the international date line
in the central North Pacic. However,
the Kuroshio Extension Current (KEC)
lies west of the date line and is the
dominant physical and biological
habitat in the North Pacic,
recognized for its high eddy kinetic
energy and high phytoplankton and
zooplankton productivity (Komatsu
et al., 2002; Kimura et al., 2000; Qiu,
2001).
In this study, one group of turtles
were composed of 37, 1-3-year-old
loggerheads reared at the Port of
Nagoya Public Aquarium and released
off the coast of Japan on three dates:
April 2003, November 2003, and
April 2004. The second group was
composed of six juvenile loggerheads,
caught and released between 2000
and 2003 from longline gear in the
central North Pacic. All 43 turtles
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 36
traveled west of the dateline into the
KEC region. Satellite oceanographic
data was used, especially sea surface
height (SSH) from altimetry, and
surface chlorophyll from ocean color
data to describe the mesoscale
habitats the turtles used.
Results indicated that in the KECBR,
juvenile loggerheads resided in
Kuroshio Extension Current (KEC)
meanders and the associated anti-
cyclonic (warm core) and cyclonic
(cold core) eddies during the fall,
winter, and spring when the KEC water
contained high surface chlorophyll.
Turtles often remained at a specic
feature for several months. However,
in the summer when the KEC waters
became vertically stratied and
surface chlorophyll levels were low,
the turtles moved north up to 600
km from the main axis of KEC to the
Transition Zone Chlorophyll Front
(TZCF).
In some instances, the loggerheads
swam against geostrophic currents,
and seasonally all turtles moved north
and south across the strong zonal
ow. Loggerhead turtles traveling
westward in the KECBR had their
directed westward movement reduced
50% by the opposing current, while
those traveling eastward exhibited an
increase in directed zonal movement.
It appears, therefore, that these
relatively weak-swimming juvenile
loggerheads are not passive drifters
in a major ocean current, but are
able to move east, west, north, and
south through this very energetic and
complex habitat.
It has long been assumed that juvenile
loggerheads use the North Pacic
oceanic regions largely as a pathway
to reach coastal nursery habitat off
Baja, Mexico. These research results
showed that the KEBR is an important
habitat for juvenile loggerheads
migrating both from Japan and from
oceanic habitat in the central and
eastern North Pacic. Furthermore,
juvenile loggerheads do not just
transit through pelagic habitat, but
spend years inhabiting the open
ocean and in particular the KEBR.
It may be that a signicant number
of juvenile loggerheads use pelagic
habitat and particularly the KEBR for
their entire juvenile phase and never
travel to the coast of the eastern
North Pacic. On the other hand,
transmitted turtles from Baja dont
show a lot of movement out of Baja.
That habitat appears to have very
different dynamics. However, since
the juvenile phase in loggerheads
lasts a decade or more, answering
this question is beyond the scope
of present satellite telemetry
techniques.
It is well known that the KEBR is an
important pelagic shing ground for
eets from many nations. However,
interactions between shing gear
and loggerheads in the KEBR are
not well documented. Given newly
discovered importance of this region
for loggerheads, the documenting of
interactions between loggerheads
and shing gear in this area is an
important conservation priority.
Further, interannual and decadal
changes in productivity of the
dynamic KEBR are likely substantial
and may be important to the
population dynamics of this species.
In summary, these results indicate
that oceanic regions, specically
the KECBR, represent an important
juvenile forage habitat for this
threatened species. Interannual and
decadal changes in productivity of
the KECBR may have a big impact
on growth and survival of juvenile
loggerheads and their population
dynamics. Further, conservation
efforts should focus on identifying
and reducing threats to the survival
of loggerhead turtles in the KECBR.
In the future, we have plans to
develop a spatial movement model
that we can drive with remotely
sensed data to try to capture all of
the dynamics across the North Pacic
to try to describe the whole juvenile
loggerhead population movement.
REFERENCES
Komatsu, T, T.Sugimoto, K.Isida,
P. Mishra, and T.Miura. 2002.
Importance of the Shasky Rise
area in the Kuroshio Extension
as an offshore nursery ground
for Japanese anchovy (Engraulis
japonicus) and sardine (Sardinops
melanostictus). Fisheries
Oceanography 11(6): 354-360.
Kimura, S., H. Nakata, and Y. Okazaki.
2000. Biological production
in meso-scale eddies caused
by frontal disturbances of the
Kuroshio Extension. ICES Journal
of Marine Science 57:133-142.
Parker, D. M., W. J. Cooke, G. H.
Balazs. 2005. Diet of oceanic
loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta
caretta) in the central North
Pacic. Fishery Bulletin 103:
142-152.
Polovina, J. J., G. H. Balazs, E. A
Howell, D. M. Parker, M. P.
Seki, and P. H. Dutton. 2004.
Forage and migration habitat
of loggerhead (Caretta caretta)
and olive ridley (Lepidochelys
olivacea) sea turtles in the
central North Pacic Ocean.
Fisheries Oceanography 13(1):
36-51.
Polovina, J. J, E. A Howell, D. M.
Parker, and G. H. Balazs. 2003.
Dive-depth distribution of
loggerhead (Carretta carretta)
and olive ridley (Lepidochelys
olivacea) sea turtles in the
central North Pacic Ocean:
Might deep longline sets catch
fewer turtles? Fishery Bulletin
101(1):189-193.
37
Polovina, J.J., E. Howell, D.R.Kobayashi,
and M.P.Seki. 2001. The Transition
Zone chlorophyll front, a
dynamic global feature dening
migration and forage habitat for
marine resources. Progress in
Oceanography (49)1-4:469-483.
Qiu, B. 2001. Kuroshio and Oyashio
Currents. In: Encyclopedia of
Ocean Science, Academic Press.
pp. 1413-1425.
QUESTIONS
Dr. Swimmer: Im curious as to what
the target species is in the pound net
sheries.
Mr. Balazs: Many species.
Ms. Fahy: I think its pretty amazing
that we have so few tracks that go
from the Northern Pacic down to
Baja; yet we have a lot of information
on the size of those animals. Do you
have any idea, comparing the size of
turtles taken in the longline sheries
and those seen in Baja, when they
would start to move down to Baja, and
why perhaps we havent been able to
track them? Where are they, and when
are they going down to Baja, or what
age?
Dr. Polovina: Thats a great question.
We have looked at sizes, but maybe
Hoyt or George wants to respond.
Mr. Peckham: All the collections that
Jay made over the past ten years of
turtles stranded and carcasses found
in dumps, and captured turtles,
the size of these almost completely
overlap. The averages of the turtles
caught in the North Pacic longline
shery is around 61 or 62 centimeters.
And off Baja, the average is about the
same, but actually getting higher,
which is a point of concern.
Dr. Nichols: I just have a quick
question for both of you, or anybody
who has any ideas may answer.
Thinking back to the map, there are
some areas we dont know much
about, the Kurishio extension, and
then some other areas that we know
more about. Can you speculate as to
disbursal of hatchlings?
Mr. Balazs: In the one case, one, two
and three years old, the smallest we
could get the new tags on is about 28
centimeters, and thats the ones we
showed.
Dr. Nichols: So Im thinking, the time
between hatching and 28 centimeters
is probably a couple of years.
Something is happening in there. And
maybe Jeff could speculate on, where
are those animals being pushed to?
Dr. Polovina: Yes. I think, if they do
get out to the Kurishio extension, the
system would start to carry them out
there even earlier.
Dr. Nichols: And, then, over the
course of two years, assuming a
hatchling is completely subject to
the current, rather than these older
turtles that are apparently able to do
their own thing, for the most part,
where would a hatchling end up after
two years of riding the current?
Dr. Polovina: Well, if it were just a
passive particle, this is the perfect
region for it to end up. That is a
region, where, for example, when
theres large populations of sardines
or anchovies, the juveniles get
advected. The larvae of sardines and
anchovy are out in this region. This is
a very -- really dynamic sort of habitat
for a lot of organisms, albacore tuna,
blue n tuna. The amazing thing is
that you get these small animals, the
ones that George and his colleagues
released were one-year-olds to three-
year-olds. So those seem to be able
to move actively through this region,
north and south. They werent just
swept through this region. So even
as a one-year-old, they are actively
swimming, actively migrating, it
seems.
Mr. Balazs: And its entirely possible
we bought this paradigm for years;
that hatchlings are just passive
drifters. But I would question that.
I would say that if the 25-centimeter
ones can be moving around like
that, on their own scale, that those
hatchlings or post hatchlings, six
months old, or whatever, could be
negotiating similar habitat. There
may be some threshold there or
gradation of it. The other thing that
I wanted to point out, although we
didnt present that data here, we
have put SDR satellite dive recorders
on some of those animals that were
captive-reared. And its astonishing to
see within the rst day after release,
dives down to 80, 90 meters, even
though they had never been in water
over 2 meters deep in their life. The
thesis that captive-reared animals are
somehow messed up does not seem
to bear any reality to the loggerhead
turtles from Japan.
Dr. Limpus: I urge you to go back
and reread Ken Lomans papers
on the behavior of post hatchling
loggerheads, or small loggerheads,
in the experimental situation of
being exposed to magnetic elds
in the North Atlantic. He certainly
demonstrated these animals are not
just inert things out there; they are
actually directing their swimming
in response to where they are in
the jar. And, I guess, Id respond
to your initial question that, while
the current may take them in one
direction and there may be eddies
that perhaps would tend to hold
them in an area, Kens work would
say to me, if they have a target that
is part of their inherited biology, they
can direct their swimming to go in
that direction. So go back and look
The Kuroshio Extension Current Bifurcation Region: A Pelagic Hotspot for Juvenile Loggerhead Sea Turtles
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 38
at Kens stuff, and see if it has some
bearing here to what you are trying
to resolve.
Mr. Balazs: Ill just summarize
so that nobody misunderstands.
Theres no denying that Baja is
important habitat for the North
Pacic loggerhead. I think what were
beginning to feel from this data, or
see from this data, that there are
other places that may even be more
important, but theres no denying
that the loggerheads get all the way
over to Baja. We all know that from
the genetics, they proved that some
years ago. Its a question of where is
the major nursery growing area for
these animals. And it certainly looks
like in this case theyre going back
and forth out there in the middle
of no mans land, but an important
shery area to sherman. So, again,
elevating a conservation concern
generated by a collaboration of
partnerships around the Pacic.
39
Sea Turtle Bycatch Reduction:
An Update on Sensory
Experiments and Field Trials
Dr. Yonat Swimmer and
Dr. Amanda Southwood
NOAA Fisheries Pacic Islands
Fishery Science Center
INTRODUCTION
The following presentation is about
the work the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) is doing
in regards to loggerhead sea turtle
bycatch reduction in longline
sheries. This is an update of the
sensory experiments using captive
animals and the eld trials testing
mitigation methods in various
locations. This is all a collaborative
and very much an international group
effort. It is my belief that this is the
surest way to arrive at practical
solutions that can be applied to
sheries worldwide.
Our work focuses on three general
areas: 1) track turtles using satellite
telemetry after their release from
shing gear to better understand
mortality due to longline sheries
interactions, 2) conduct and
coordinate sensory and mechanical
experiments to reduce hooking
of turtles in longline gear, and
3) conduct eld trials to test
possible mitigation measures
in actual sheries.
SATELLITE TELEMETRY
RESEARCH
We have selected to work with
pop-up satellite archival tags to
determine survivorship after their
release from shing gear (Figure 1).
This is the best tag to use when
specically addressing post-release
survivorship/mortality. It also
has the potential to provide highly
valuable information such as turtles
geolocations, which will help identify
potential migratory corridors, turtles
dive depths, as well as the water
temperature occupied by the turtle.
Primarily the tag is designed to
determine if the turtle does indeed
die after being released from the gear.
Tags are deployed by shery observers
in Hawaii as well as in the California-
based swordsh shery. All are shing
in the cold waters of the North Pacic
Ocean.
To date, tagging efforts have been
hampered by a number of different
legal reasons, but, in general, we have
been up and running and trying to get
turtles tagged since 2002. The Hawaii
swordsh shery was shut down for
a couple years which reduced tagging
opportunities. The swordsh shery
is now open, with a requirement of
100-percent observer coverage, and
therefore the opportunity exists to tag
every single turtle that is encountered.
Thus far (at the time of the workshop
March 2005), observers have
tagged eight within the last month
encountered in the swordsh shery
and 13 from the California-based
shery. Most of the turtles have been
tagged by California-based observers
that were on boat shing in the same
general area these past couple of
years. A preliminary look at the data
indicates that the tags are lasting an
average of almost ve months. These
are animals that were deeply hooked
whereby they had actually swallowed
the hooks. There were a few duds,
meaning tags we never heard from
after their deployment. However,
based on the design of the tag, we
believe these are not suggestive of
mortality.
Of the 13 tags, there has been one
observed mortality six months after
the initial interaction. There could
have been subsequent interactions or
a number of other factors that could
have led to its mortality, or maybe
simply a natural mortality. However,
based on just a handful of tags, at this
point, our data suggests that there is
high survivorship within the rst six
months after their release from shing
gear (Table 1).
In terms of turtles movements, all
turtles headed due west post-release.
Our data show the same information
that Jeff has found; that, indeed,
they are staying within this nutrient
rich boundary layer, the same, very
shallow, cold water.
FIGURE 1. Turtle outtted with popup
satellite archival tag.
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 40
SENSORY RESEARCH
Visual Sensory
Mechanisms
The other aspect that were working
on is to understand the sensory
mechanisms that marine animals
use that attract them to shing
gear. A few years ago, my colleague
and mentor Rich Brill and I set
about to identify research needs
in the eld of sensory biology that
would provide information on how
pelagic sh and sea turtles sense
their environment. Specically, we
were interested to identifying cues
that were responsible for attracting
them to shing gear - was it visual,
acoustic? The idea here is to
understand what attracts turtles,
and if there are differences to
how sh and turtles are attracted
to gear, then such information
could be applied to designing a
modication that would allow shers
to catch sh and not turtles.
A suite of laboratory studies were
conducted primarily with captive
turtles in Galveston, Texas to
test behavioral and physiological
responses to various sensory stimuli,
and similar studies were conducted
with pelagic sh. The aim of these
studies was to generate eld-testable
ideas that we could then try in the
open ocean. The ultimate goal of
these rst two steps would be to
provide information to sheries
managers so that after extensive
testing, effective mitigation
measures could be implemented into
the proper regulations.
Our rst experiments focused on
understanding the visual capabilities
in sea turtles. Scott Eckert and Dave
Levonson (2006) looked at color
vision in green, loggerhead and
leatherback turtles, while Karen
Fritsches (2005) investigated color
vision in pelagic sh. The graph in
Figure 2 represents a theoretical
prole on the color sensitivities of
a number of species interacting
with shing gear. While tuna and
swordsh have rather limited vision
only shades of blue/green, marlin
and green turtles can see across the
visible spectrum, well into the red.
Given this greater color sensitivity in
turtles, a visual repellent would have
to incorporate more than just color,
such as differences in the speed of
vision between sh and turtles.
Abilities and limits of detecting colors
were another focus of our research.
Based on the visual pigment of sh
and green turtles, limits of vision can
be estimated: turtles will see further
that any of the sh into the red.
However, red is not a good color in
water since it gets absorbed quickly.
Colors and light intensities vary
drastically in different depth, whereby
water acts as a color lter with red
and yellow being ltered out rst,
then green until only blue, violet and
some UV remain. Water also dims the
light and, even in clear ocean water on
a sunny day, the light levels at 600m
are equivalent to starlight. In terms
of anatomical differences, the team
compared the eye design of sh and
sea turtles to investigate their ability
to detect light. Compared to sh,
sea turtles have a small lens (=small
aperture) and relatively long focal
length which means the eye is much
more insensitive to light than that of
a tuna and other sh (ie. needs more
light to operate properly). A way of
quantifying their ability to detect light
is to calculate their optical sensitivity.
What was discovered was that sh are
more sensitive to light than turtles
while turtles are more sensitive than
humans (when considering their optics
and eye design).
In general, sh and turtle species that
occupy different parts of the water
column prove to be highly adapted to
live in their own niches in the open
water. Not just having
different vertical partitioning, some
remaining shallow during the day,
such as turtles and some sh, and
bigeye and swordsh are deeper at
night. They also have clear anatomical
differences. The sea turtle eye is not
well adapted to life in dim light - it
has a very lengthy focal length and
a very small lens, therefore it takes a
lot of light to get back into the back
of the eye. Bigeye, as an example, is
a sh that is able to capture even the
most remote light available. And it
FIGURE 2. Prole of color sensitivities of
pelagic sh and green turtle (source:
Levonson and Eckert, 2006; Fritsches et
al., 2005).
41
needs that because its staying much
deeper. The team also looked at their
visual resolution in time - an indication
for example of how good they are to
detect fast movements. There was
good correlation with diving depth and
temporal resolution, with deep divers
being slow and shallow divers being
fast. The turtle was relatively fast (i.e.,
has good ability for motion detection).
Resolution in time is dependent on
the brightness of light available in
the animals habitat, so deep divers
living in dim light need slow temporal
resolution (e.g., slow shutter speed) to
see anything at all.
Chemosensory Capabilities
Another area of investigation is turtles
chemosensory capabilities. The easiest
mitigation method to try to regulate
would be an olfactory deterrent.
The idea here is that if there is some
repellant, or innate repellant, that
would cause sea turtles to ee, this
could be incorporated into the bait.
Amanda Southwood has taken the lead
in understanding behavioral responses
to olfactory cues, especially as it
relates to the shery issue. Do turtles
smell an approaching tiger shark
and do they have a ight response?
Amanda and Ben Higgins set up a
behavioral choice tank and conrmed
that indeed turtles smell, but are still
working on an effective repellent to
test in the eld (Southwood et al., in
press).
Lastly, our collaborators in Brazil have
worked to set up oating pens to
house turtles that have been brought
in after their capture from shing
gear. In addition to monitoring their
long-term health post-interaction, they
have also been able to test turtles
feeding response to foods marinated
in various chemicals with the aim of
identifying repellent compounds.
Some really exciting work has been
done by Kristen Fritsches at the
University of Queensland and Ken
Lohmann at the University of North
Carolina where they are working to
link turtles physiological capacities
with their behavioral responses. Dr.
Fritsches has investigated the critical
icker fusion frequency, which is
the point at which you no longer
see a ickering light, but it becomes
continuous (Fritsches et al., 2005). The
results suggest that the green turtle
and a few sh species they studied
had different critical icker fusion
frequencies, suggesting that a blinking
light could appear as such to a turtle,
but not to a sh, which would see
a continuous light. The idea behind
some of the sensory work thats
currently been in development is the
development of a ickering LED light
stick that would attract sh and not
turtles.
Dr. Lohmann has done behavioral
studies with captive juvenile
loggerheads monitoring their
orientation to activated and
unactivated light sticks. His work has
shown that turtles are attracted to
light sticks of any color once they have
become activated, it doesnt matter
what color, they are all attractive to a
turtle. But when you use an over-the-
counter ashing blue LED, the turtles
are not signicantly oriented towards
it. The idea is to nd out what is a
frequency prole that would attract
sh and potentially not be of interest
to turtles. Ken Lomans work also
looked at the potential to use shaded
light sticks. This is part of the idea that
turtles, while remaining very shallow,
are above the shing gear. This
suggests that shading the light sticks
could make then invisible and thus less
attractive from above.
What Ive just discussed are examples
of the type of research thats currently
ongoing on how were generating eld
testable experiments in the lab. Some
of these ideas have already been taken
into the eld, and for the rest of the
talk Ill discuss work that weve done
with our colleagues in Costa Rica and
Brazil to test sensory techniques as
well as gear modications, such as
differences in hook type. Much of the
groundwork for the gear modication
studies was laid by John Watson and
others in the Pascagoula and Miami
Labs of the NMFS
1
.
FISHERY EXPERIMENTS IN
COSTA RICA AND BRAZIL
In Costa Rica (CR) and Brazil, we have
investigated rates of turtle capture
between blue dyed and untreated
bait, and in Costa Rica, we have
investigated the effects of a 10 degree
offset circle hook, and in Brazil, we
have investigated the relationship
between J vs. Circle hooks with regard
to turtle capture.
Work for testing a turtle bycatch
mitigation method in CR was
conducted in collaboration with
PRETOMA and our sheries agency. CR
was an ideal location to conduct such
a study due to the unfortunate (for
turtles), but fortunate (for statistical
purposes) fact that turtle Catch Per
Unit Effort (CPUE) is eight, meaning
that eight turtles are generally caught
per 1,000 hooks set. Nearly all of these
turtles are olive ridleys (few greens)
and nearly all are released alive.
The rst experiments were conducted
with blue-dyed bait vs. untreated
bait in the mahi mahi shery during
December 2003. In an effort to reduce
the number of confounding variables,
the test was conducted such that
two boats were shing in the same
general area at the same time.
Eleven sets were conducted for each
boat, and the treatment days were
randomly alternated. In an effort to
make sure that baits on a set were not
1
Web site to access experimental results: http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/seaturtlecontractreports.jsp
Sea Turtle Bycatch Reduction: An Update on Sensory Experiments and Field Trials
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 42
contaminated by a treatment, the bait
types were not mixed on a set. Rather,
squid baits were either all dyed blue
or untreated along an entire set. The
hook used was the circle 13/0, which
is the most commonly used hook in
this shery.
A quick analysis of the data revealed no
effect of blue bait on turtle bycatch,
nor were there differences between
the two boats in the experiment.
Similar ndings were found in the NED
(Watson et al., 2002) and in a study in
Japan and reported by Nakano et al.
(2004). The results from this blue-dyed
bait study has just been accepted for
publication in Marine Ecology Progress
Series, so you can read more about the
details in our methodology and results
in the coming months.
A second experiment in this shery
was completed last week [February
2005] where we evaluated the impact
of a 10 deg offset on 14/0 circle
hooks with regard to turtle capture
rates. Only 9 sets were conducted
before they had to come in due to an
unusually large volume of sh caught.
From what Ive heard from the eld,
20 turtles were caught, 9 on one hook
type, 11 on the other, suggesting no
apparent effect of this slight offset.
Additionally, the lack of an offset did
not negatively impact capture of
mahi mahi.
COLLABORATIONS IN BRAZIL
Last winter, researchers with Projeto
TAMAR worked closely with the
federal sheries agency to rig their
boat to enable longline shing on
board their research vessel. Only 4
sets of 300 hooks/set were made due
to unusually rough seas. During this
time, one leatherback was foul-hooked
and later released. However, based
on the previous work with blue-dyed
bait showing no effect on turtle
capture rates, we do not believe its
worthwhile to pursue this experiment
further.
More recently, Brazil has experimented
with comparing turtle and sh CPUE
between their traditional 9/0 J hook vs.
a large 18/0 circle hook. 17 sets were
conducted off the southeast coast of
Brazil where incidental capture of both
loggerhead and leatherback is known
to be high. Capture rate of turtles was
clearly higher on J vs. circle hooks,
however, due to the relatively small
sample size, its too early to conclude
with more statistical scrutiny that the
effect was due only to the hook type.
More research will be conducted to
explore the effectiveness of large circle
hooks on turtle capture rates in this
area in the near future.
CONCLUSION
To date, the only sensory idea that
weve taken out into the eld is the
blue bait. However, many new ideas
are being generated in the lab. The lab
experiments are not only generating
applied technology to protect these
animals in the longline shery, but
have supplied essential information
about how animal are functioning
in their environment. What weve
gleaned thus far has been critical in
improving our knowledge on the basic
biology of a number of sea turtle and
pelagic sh species, as well as shedding
light on the development of critical
conservation measures.
Ideas that are closest to testing include
a blinking light stick, changes in oat
color, as well as more basic gear
modications of hook dimensions and
shape. Lastly, Id like to emphasize that
the collaborative approach has been
very fruitful for us and we are likely to
continue on this road.
REFERENCES
Fritsches K. A., Richard W. Brill, and
Eric J. Warrant. 2005. Warm
Eyes Provide Superior Vision in
Swordshes. Current Biology,
Vol. 15: 5558.
Levonson, D and S. Eckert. 2006.
Spectral sensitivities of
leatherback sea turtles. In:
Swimmer, Y. and R. Brill, eds. Sea
Turtle and Pelagic Fish Sensory
Biology: Developing Techniques
to Reduce Sea Turtle Bycatch
in Longline Fisheries. NOAA
Technical Memorandum NMFS-
PIFSC-6. April 2006. 121 p.
Nakano et al. (2004). Research on
the Mitigation and Conservation
of Sea Turtles by the Fisheries
Research Agency. National
Research Inst. Of Far Seas
Fisheries, Japan. Japan Fishery
Research Agency . Shimizu,
Shizuoka, Japan. Presented at
the 2nd Western Pacic Sea
Turtle Cooperative Research
and Management Workshop.
17-21 May 2004. Western Pacic
Regional Fishery Management
Council, Honolulu, HI USA.
Southwood, A.L., Higgins, B., Brill,
R.W., Vogt, R., and J.Y. Swimmer.
In press. Aquatic chemoreception
in loggerhead sea turtles:
behavioral responses to food
and a novel chemical. Chemical
Senses.
Watson, J. W, Daniel G. Foster,
Sheryan Epperly, and Arvind
Shah. 2002. Experiments in the
Western Atlantic Northeast
Distant Waters to evaluate Sea
Turtle mitigation measures in
the Pelagic Longline Fishery.
Unpublished report. NOAA
Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries
Science Center.
COMMENTS
Dr. Limpus: For the last 20 years,
we have been using ashing lights
to mark walking tracks of the public
access to and from the nesting
beach. These lights have had no
impact whatsoever on hatchling
disbursal from the beach or the
arrival/departure of nesting turtles.
43
Loggerhead Turtle
Bycatch in Peru
Joanna Alfaro Shigueto
Jeffrey Mangel*
Pro Delphinus, Peru
1
and Dr. Peter Dutton
NOAA Fisheries, Southwest
Fisheries Science Center
ABSTRACT
As sea turtle nesting beaches have
become increasingly protected,
one of the greatest conservation
priorities is addressing bycatch in
sheries. Worldwide assessments of
turtle bycatch in longlines have been
limited due to gaps of information
on turtles catch per unit effort
(CPUE) in some regions, including
the Southeast Pacic. Through a
shore-based observer program in
2001-2003, we estimated 2,025
turtles captured at eight ports
sampled in Peru. However, due to
the clandestine nature of the use
of captured turtles, an accurate
estimate of turtle CPUE was difcult
to achieve. Therefore, in 2003 we
established an onboard observer
program based in Ilo, home to the
largest artisanal longline eet in
Peru, targeting mahi mahi and
sharks. During the rst 10 months of
the program, 10 greens, 1 hawksbill,
16 olive ridleys, 2 leatherbacks and
108 loggerheads were recorded. Of
these, 72% were entangled in the line
while 23% were hooked.
Fisheries are the second largest
economic sector of Peru. However,
endangered marine fauna are
being affected by shing practices.
Sea turtles in Peru are legally
protected, but due to poor socio-
economic conditions in the country,
political instability and insufcient
resources, enforcement of this
legislation is very limited. In the
case of longline sheries in Peru, we
recommend the implementation of
mitigation measures (i.e. de-hookers,
circle hooks) together with the
improved basic education in coastal
communities.
INTRODUCTION
Increasing protection of sea turtles
nesting beaches has improved sea
turtle conservation over the last
decade. However, bycatch still remains
as a major threat to sea turtles. In
Peru, gillnets have been identied as
the main threat for sea turtles.
During the late 90s, gillnet bycatch of
turtles represented about 76.5% of the
turtle capture, followed by artisanal
longlines. The main species affected
by the longline eet in southern Peru
are the loggerhead turtle (Caretta
caretta), leatherbacks (Dermochelys
coriacea), greens (Chelonia mydas
agassizii), olive ridley (Lepidochelys
olivacea) and hawksbill turtles
(Eretmochelys imbricate).
Over the last few years, longline
sheries have increase rapidly. It is
estimated that from 587 to 1,357
vessels are operating with longline
gear in Peru in winter and summer,
respectively. With this increase in
shing effort, turtle bycatch rate may
have changed.
Fisheries as an industry is the second
largest economic activity in Peru.
Approximately 110,000 persons
* presenting author
1
www.prodelphinus.com
work directly or indirectly in this
activity. However, the informality of
artisanal sheries makes it difcult
to monitor catch per unit effort and
bycatch rates. Here we summarize
the information for the rst year of
our observer program in Peruvian
longlines which was established to
assess sea turtle bycatch CPUE.
METHODS
For an accurate assessment of
bycatch, we placed onboard observers
from September 2003 to November
2004 in the port of Ilo. Ilo is home
to the largest year-round artisanal
longline eet. The eet uses surface
longlines. There are two seasons: the
mahi mahi and the shark season (see
Table 1, Figure 1 and Figure 2).
RESULTS
During 14 months, 588 sets were
observed during 60 trips. A total of
154 turtles were bycaught. Of all
turtles caught, 72% of them were
entangled and 23% were hooked.
Species composition was as follow:
73.4% loggerheads, 18.2% greens,
2.6% leatherbacks, and 3.8% olive
ridley turtles. Of all leatherback
turtles caught, 75% were entangled in
the line, while 68% of the loggerhead
turtles were entangled and 32% were
hooked. For trips observed 0.597
turtles/1000 hooks were caught
during the mahi mahi season while
0.356 turtles/1000 hooks were caught
during the shark season.
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 44
Three turtles were recaptured,
two of them after 21 and 13 days
respectively. During the sampled
period, no seabird bycatch was
registered. Only one small cetacean
(Delphinus sp.) was hooked. As part
of a pilot shark project carried out
during some trips we also determine
that approximately 82% of the sharks
captured were below the legal size
minimums.
CONCLUSIONS
Sea turtle bycatch was higher during
the mahi mahi season than the shark
season. This seasonality may be
linked to changes in oceanographic
conditions. Entanglement in the
line (rather than hooking) was the
major cause of turtle capture. We
recommend an assessment of the
use of mitigation measures to reduce
turtle bycatch such as the use of
circle hooks and dehookers, especially
during the mahi mahi season.
Encouragement of shermen to
participate in sea turtle conservation
would support efforts for long term
turtle conservation. Further studies
using telemetry are necessary to
estimate the post release mortality
rate.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We warmly thank the shermen
for their generous collaboration
during the project. To the crew of
Milagritos, Jesusito, Lucio IV,
Lucio V, Aletita II, Rebecca III and
Juan de Dios. Observers conducted
an excellent work and provided a
great amount of support to improve
this study.
Funding received for this project was
from the Southwest Fisheries Science
Center NOAA, the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation, Duke University
through the Oak Foundation, Idea
Wild and Fulbright Commission.
FIGURE 1. Fishing gear design to catch
mahi mahi.
FIGURE 2. Fishing gear design to catch
sharks.
45
The Conservation Mosaic:
Networks, Knowledge and Communication
for Loggerhead Turtle Conservation at
Baja California Foraging Grounds
1

Dr. Wallace J. Nichols
ProPeninsula and California
Academy of Sciences
INTRODUCTION
Five species of sea turtle are known to
inhabit the coastal waters of Mexico.
The two most common species to
frequent the waters within and
adjacent to Baha Magdalena are the
eastern Pacic green, or black, turtle
(Chelonia mydas) and the Pacic
loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta).
Other species include the olive ridley
(Lepidochelys olivacea), leatherback
(Dermochelys coriacea) and hawksbill
(Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles.
Sea turtles are an important part of
the cultural history of northwestern
Mexico. While overuse was largely
responsible for their decline (Cliffton
the Mexican Ministry of Fisheries and
the Ministry of Urban Development
and Ecology (now SEMARNAP). The
legislation states that the Mexican
Federal Government strictly prohibits
the pursuit, capture, and extraction
of any species of sea turtle on any
beaches or in any federal waters.
A major goal of community-based sea
turtle conservation efforts is to
develop population and habitat
protection practices that are also
compatible with the socio-economics
and cultural ecology of local resource-
dependent communities (Bird and
Nichols 2000; Tambiah 2000).
Community-based strategies are not
new to sea turtle conservation: such
approaches take a variety of forms
including community monitoring of
lighting practices on nesting beaches,
community-based stranding networks
and beach patrols, self-enforcement by
shing communities, formal sharing
of traditional knowledge (Nabhan
et al. 1999) and the systematic
consideration of interviews with shers
(Tambiah 1999). While such practices
are increasing, community-based
efforts are still not widely accepted as
valid conservation tools (Frazier 1999;
Tambiah 2000).
In general, however, many of the
community-based conservation
cases documented in the literature
have been those in which external
researchers have initiated conservation
projects and in the process have
integrated local community
participation (Govan 1998; Hackel
FIGURE 1. Study site: Bahia Magdalena,
Baja California, Mexico.
1
With excerpts from the published papers: 1) Bird, K.E., Nichols, W.J. and C. R. Tambiah. 2003. The Value of Local Knowledge in Sea Turtle Conservation: A Case From Baja California,
Mexico. Putting Fishers Knowledge to Work: Conference Proceedings, Page 178-183; and 2) Nichols, W.J., K.E. Bird, and S. Garcia. 2000. Community-based research and its application
to sea turtle conservation in Bahia Magdalena, BCS, Mexico. Marine turtle newsletter 89:4-7.
et al. 1982), it is the cultural connection
to the animals that may in fact lead
to their recovery. As in many shing
communities in the region, the
multitude of uses of sea turtles by
families living near Baha Magdalena
(a large mangrove estuarine complex
on the Pacic side of the Baja California
peninsula; Figure 1) have been an
important part of coastal living. Green
and loggerhead turtles are the species
that were most commonly caught
by the shers of Puerto San Carlos,
Puerto Magdalena and Lopez Mateos,
the three largest communities on the
shores of Baha Magdalena.
Turtle use originated as subsistence
harvest, but over time this use
broadened into a directed shery
(Caldwell 1963). In addition to the
food, medicinal uses and products
provided to an individual shers
household, there were economic
benets associated with the sale
of turtle meat to the market. For
many years, the taking of turtles was
largely unregulated, and the turtles
seemed inexhaustibly abundant
(Caldwell & Caldwell 1962) and
as many as 375,000 turtles were
harvested between 1966 and 1970.
As populations began to decline, size
limits and closed seasons were enacted.
However, by the mid-1970s and early
1980s, it became increasingly obvious
that such large-scale harvest was not
sustainable and that management
schemes were ineffective (Cliffton
et al. 1982). Broad legal protection
of sea turtles in Mexico came with
an Executive Order issued in 1990 by
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 46
1999; Tambiah 1995). Few of these
case studies have actually integrated
local science into the project. In many
places around the world, external
researchers only have the time
and resources to make a snapshot
assessment. The typical approach of
a research project is to get in and
get out - gathering as much data as
possible as efciently as possible. Once
the data are collected researchers may
never return. They may enter the host
community with complete autonomy,
for instance, with their own boat,
equipment and food. Alternatively,
a special connection can be made
through a certain dependence on the
host community - for food, equipment,
labor and guidance - which fosters
trust and builds partnerships.
THE CONSERVATION
MOSAIC
While there have been great
advancements in our understanding
of sea turtle biology and behavior,
and the science of conservation is
continually developing new tools,
science does not always translate
into conservation on the ground. As
researchers become increasingly aware
of the cultural motivations involved
in sea turtle exploitation, it becomes
critical to shift conservation efforts
to actively include local communities,
particularly to the shers often in
the position to make choices directly
impacting the fate of turtles. While
the ways that shers have negatively
impacted sea turtle populations
have been documented, what is
often overlooked is how these same
individuals can contribute to their
conservation.
A major goal of community-based
efforts in sea turtle conservation is to
develop practices which will protect
sea turtle populations and habitats
that are also compatible with the
socioeconomic system and cultural
ecology of local resource-dependent
communities. Within a conservation
mosaic, the incorporation of both
biological and social research
methods and communication are
critical. Analysis sea turtle recovery
efforts within Baja California, Mexico
indicates that community-based
research can result in locals actively
participating in conservation and
providing the knowledge and
information necessary to create
successful long-term conservation
plans. Formation of partnerships
through local education, informal
conversations, and community
meetings are also a fundamental part
of sea turtle conservation.
The conservation mosaic approach
seeks to utilize local knowledge
and to foster partnerships, which
facilitate the exchange of information
and active community participation
(Figure 2). The following stepwise
approach, outlining general research
considerations for the integration
of local science into conservation
initiatives, is suggested:
1. The rst step involves getting
to know the community, while
allowing them to know you as more
than just an outside researcher:
build trust through friendships
and partnerships within the local
community and show respect in
interactions will all individuals.
2. After introductions to the
community, learn about community
issues, cultural norms and beliefs.
Show consideration towards
personal, local, and regional
politics, and work within the
existing socioeconomic framework.
3. While it is acceptable to share
knowledge with local shers,
(particularly when it is specically
requested), do not do all the talking:
spend an equal amount of time asking
questions and engaging in participant
observation. Both outsiders and
insiders have something to share
and learn from each other.
4. Integrate local knowledge and
information with outside
science into an action plan, and
implemented the plan with the
support, knowledge and active
participation of the local population.
5. Lastly, monitor progress and
maintain exibility, following
adaptive management strategies.

The three components of the
Conservation Mosaic, networks,
knowledge and communication,
function together to achieve a set
of conservation targets. These
targets may include specic policy
actions, behavioral changes, market
shifts or implementation of specic
management strategies.
Building a conservation network
involves linking together and
involvement of stakeholders including
shers, managers, scientists,
advocates, educators, funders, etc.
The inclusion of so called enemies,
such as poachers, developers and
politicians, in the network can often
bring unexpected insights. The
goal of the network is to remind its
members that they are not alone
Fisherman and son releasing an
accidentally caught sea turtle, and
thereby participating in conservation
while transferring knowledge to the
younger generation.
FIGURE 2. The schematic of the
Conservation Mosaic.
47
and that they are part of something
larger than themselves. Maintaining
the connectivity of the network
can be done both formally and
informally and through one-on-
one exchanges, working or theme
group gatherings or all network
meetings. The conservation network
is the backbone of the Conservation
Mosaic and, as such, its cultivation,
growth and maintenance requires
substantial commitment. There are
many unexpected ways to grow the
conservation network by aligning
with existing social and professional
networks. Two examples from the Baja
California peninsula are the strong
family networks where gatherings on
Sundays are typically places where
new knowledge is shared, and the
public health network of health care
providers who have clinics or mobile
units in every coastal community
and who have demonstrated an
interest in working together to share
information on the ocean-human
health connection. Advances in
technology allow network members
to inexpensively remain in regular
contact through phone and internet.
However, there is no substitute for
face-to-face meetings and the social
bonding this allows.
The second component of the
Conservation Mosaic is the generation
of knowledge, understanding and
solutions. This ranges from the
traditional natural science and social
science studies to inclusion of local or
traditional knowledge. The goal is to
acquire as much of the information
needed to reach the conservation
goal as possible. Advances in
technology have expanded the reach
of science and have also allowed for
widespread collaboration. Integration
of many disciplines is now considered
standard for any conservation
project. Participatory research is
another ideal, where stakeholders
play a role in the generation of new
knowledge. For example, in Bahia
Magdalena shermen take the lead in
on monitoring sea turtles. This is an
empowering as well as transformative
experience for some and the
ownership and credibility of the data
serves sea turtle recovery efforts.
Communication of knowledge and
solutions through education, outreach
and advocacy programs relies on the
strength of the network. Resonant
and relevant messages that portray
understandable and memorable
messages should be carefully chosen,
using test or focus groups as needed
and professional social marketing
information when available. The
necessary steps to understanding
the big picture should be provided.
Appropriate media should be
used. Both formal and informal
communication should be considered.
One goal of sharing knowledge is to
provoke or inspire conversations well
after the communication event has
been completed. These conversations
are what ultimately drive social
change and adoption of more
sustainable behaviors.
Sea turtle conservation is
multidimensional, as the causes of
declines are multifaceted. Therefore,
it is our responsibility to advocate
adaptive management techniques.
An interdisciplinary approach allows
for the utilization of many sciences
and provides a more holistic view
of how sea turtles t into the grand
picture. By avoiding a purely biological
and turtle-centric approach, and
instead investigating the overall turtle
habitat, including the cultural and
socioeconomic communities of which
turtles are a part, our understanding
is greatly enhanced. The inclusion of
local people in resource management
can provide many benets. Stronger
conservation alliances based on the
mutual sharing of knowledge, along
with the combination of local science
and structured monitoring, may
produce the greatest conservation
benets.
Deployment of satellite telemetry on
loggerhead to gather valuable habitat
use information for making effective,
science-based management decisions.
Sea turtle festival activities to raise
community awareness in Lopez Mateos.
Creative
communication
strategies promote
education and
awareness, such
as this comic book.
Jose Valdez Romero, respected community
member, sher, and sea turtle advocate.
The Conservation Mosaic: Networks, Knowledge and Communication for Loggerhead Turtle Conservation at
Baja California Foraging Grounds
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 48
CONCLUSION
Because of the intimate relationship
between the turtles and the Baha
Magdalena communities, using
community-based conservation
strategies and developing the
knowledge and trust of the shers
were crucial to research and
conservation efforts. Although it
has taken a great deal of time and
patience to establish rapport within
the community, resulting dialog
has allowed us access to a more
accurate understanding of the issues
surrounding sea turtle recovery, as
well as provided us with a forum
for making recommendations. By
combining the knowledge gained
through scientic investigations with
the insights of the social sciences, we
now stand a much better chance of
succeeding in recovery efforts.
Over the past decade, local
involvement in turtle conservation
has been increasing. The novelty and
strength of this approach have yielded
a conservation constituency among
costeos (shers) characterized by local
pride, empowerment and stewardship.
Preliminary results indicate decreased
sea turtle bycatch and poaching,
increasing government support and
community-based enforcement,
a growing conservation network,
changes in local attitudes, an emerging
sea ethic, and more turtles.
REFERENCES
Caldwell, D.K. 1963. The sea turtle
shery of Baja California, Mexico.
California Fish and Game 49:140-
151.
Caldwell, D. K. & M. C. Caldwell. 1962.
The black steer of the Gulf of
California. Los Angeles County
Museum Contributions to Science
61:1-31.
Frazier, J.G. 1999. Community-based
conservation. Pp.15-18 in K.L.
Eckert, K.A. Bjorndal, F.A. Abreu-
Grobois and M. Donnelly (editors).
Research and management
techniques for the conservation
of sea turtles. IUCN/SSC Marine
Turtle Specialist Group Publication
No.4.
Govan, H. 1998. Community turtle
conservation at Rio Oro on the
Pacic coast of Costa Rica. Marine
Turtle Newsletter 80:10-11.
Hackel, J.D. 1999. Community
conservation and the future of
Africas wildlife. Conservation
Biology. 13(4):726-734.
Nabhan, G., H.Govan, S.A. Eckert, and
J.A. Seminoff. 1999. Sea turtle
workshop for the indigenous Seri
tribe. Marine Turtle Newsletter
86:44.
Bird, K.E. and W.J. Nichols. 2000.
Community-based research
and its application to sea turtle
conservation in Bahia Magdalena,
BCS, Mexico. Proceedings of the
20th Annual Symposium on Sea
Turtle Biology and Conservation.
March 2000. NOAA Technical
Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-477.
Tambiah, C. R. 1995. Integrated
management of sea turtles
among the indigenous people of
Guyana: Planning beyond recovery
and towards sustainability.
Proceedings of the 12th Annual
Workshop on Sea Turtle
Conservation and Biology. NOAA
Technical Memorandum NMFS-
SEFSC-361.
Tambiah, C. 1999. Interviews and
market surveys. Pp. 156-161
in K.L. Eckert, K.A. Bjorndal,
F.A. Abreu-Grobois and M.
Donnelly, (editors). Research
and Management Techniques for
the Conservation of Sea Turtles.
IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist
Group. Publication No.4.
Tambiah, C. R. 2000. Community
participation in sea turtle
conservation: Moving beyond
buzzwords to implementation. In:
H. Kalb and T. Wibbels (compilers).
Proceedings of the 19th Annual
Symposium on Sea Turtle
Conservation and Biology. NOAA
Technical Memorandum NMFS-
SEFSC-443.
QUESTIONS
Ms. Fahy: I have a quick question.
You talk about social change within
the shing community and among
poachers. But for those poachers who
were making money off of turtles
and now have switched to sea turtle
conservation, how are they now
replacing the money that they were
making from poaching and selling sea
turtles to restaurants.
Dr. Nichols: Thats a good question.
One can make a lot of money poaching
sea turtles, and there is no way to
make a one-to-one shift. Francisco
Fisher who was the biggest sea turtle
poacher in Baja went to work in a sh
packing plant right out of the jail,
cleaning lobster tails. So he found
employment, but nowhere near the
money impossible for him to make
the money that he made transporting
sea turtles. Its kind of like, if you stop
dealing drugs and then try to nd a main
stream, legal job. Its going to be really
hard to match that. Thats part of the
challenge, he gave up a lot, he gave up
his whole lifestyle and new cars to do
it. And, admittedly, he says its very,
very difcult for him. But thats the
social reality of that kind of shift, from
making a lot of money doing something
that is very illegal to just taking a job
working in a shery or in a packing plant
or restaurant. Baja California is very
fortunate, its one of the richer states
in Mexico and there are jobs available.
They are low paying, but there are jobs.
Ms. Fahy: So its just a change in his
mindset.
Dr. Nichols: Yes.
49
An Integrated Approach to
Reducing Mortality of North
Pacic Loggerhead Turtles
in Baja California SUR, Mexico
1

Hoyt Peckham and
Dr. Wallace J. Nichols
ProPeninsula
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
There are currently no more than
a few thousand loggerhead turtles
nesting each year in Japan, the
primary nesting site for this species
in the North Pacic, representing a
rapid decline in recent decades. The
small-scale sheries of Baja California
Sur (BCS), Mexico are a leading source
of loggerhead turtle mortality in
the North Pacic. The future of the
imperiled North Pacic loggerhead
turtle population is thus partly in the
hands of Mexican small-scale shers.
We are raising awareness of the
mortality problem among Mexican
shers and working with these shers
to develop mortality reduction
solutions. Loggerhead poaching along
the Baja California Sur (BCS), Mexico
coast is another serious source of
mortality.
Our objective is to reduce loggerhead
turtle mortality due to sheries
bycatch and poaching in BCS, Mexico.
In April 2004 and May 2005, we
convened three WPRFMC-funded
bycatch reduction workshops in
Puerto A. Lopez Mateos and Puerto
Magdalena, BCS to identify feasible
bycatch reduction strategies with
local shers. Based on input from
the twelve working groups of shers,
managers, and researchers during the
workshops, we identied the following
goals for reducing BCS loggerhead
mortality and began addressing
them in summer 2004. In 2005, we
expanded our efforts to include a
systematic assessment of changes
in attitude and behavior related to
poaching and bycatch of sea turtles
in the focal region. Issues related
to human health and ocean health
resonate the most among members
of the communities in the region.
A signicant outcome of the 2005
season is the declaration of the Zona
Auto Protegida (ZAP), a no-shing
turtle reserve, supported by local
communities and shers to reduce
gillnet-shery bycatch mortality of
loggerhead sea turtles.
PROJECT GOALS
facilitate agency enforcement
against poaching in BCS
monitor mortality of loggerhead
turtles along the Pacic coast of
BCS, Mexico
convey mortality problem to local
shers and other stakeholders
investigate abundance, distribution,
and foraging behavior of loggerhead
turtles
partner with shers to mitigate
turtle mortality through: 1)
alteration of shing techniques,
2) turtle rehabilitation/release, 3)
reduction of poaching/piracy
create and deliver compelling
outreach content (videos, info
sheets, childrens books, comic
books, etc.) of the turtle bycatch
problem to engage shers and their
communities in developing solutions.
share results widely with agencies,
organizations and individuals
working to protect loggerhead
turtles around the North Pacic.
ACTIONS COMPLETED
COMMUNITY CONSERVATION
NETWORKS
OVERVIEW
To increase awareness of the sea
turtle mortality problem in the Baja
California peninsula, our team has built
a conservation constituency for sea
1
2005 Final report submitted to the Western Pacic Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC), January 20, 2006, Contract No. 05-WPC-018, NOAA award Nos.:
NA03NMF4110017 and NA04NMF4410039. The project scope, goals and activities are similar from year one (2004) to year two (2005), however, due to the delay in publishing these
proceedings, the year two nal report is used in lieu of year one. Additionally, the results from the 2005 season are more comprehensive and contain an additional years data that
provides a more solid foundation to interpret results and actions.
ProCAGUAMA 2005 team
BCS, Mexico state senator releases a
loggerhead turtle, embracing turtle
ecotourism (effort supported through
ProPeninsula).
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 50
turtles of the Californias composed
of shers cooperatives, community
groups, governmental agencies, and
Mexican and US non-prots. We
empower Mexican shers to protect
turtles through our constituency and
the community-based conservation
network Grupo Tortuguero. This
network provides the core for our
research and communications
programs.
REGIONAL MEETINGS
(supported by ProPeninsula,
Packard Foundation, and WPRFMC)
The following meetings were
supported during the 2004 eld
season:
6th Annual Grupo Tortuguero
Monitoring Meeting: Mulege,
BCS, August 2004. Sea turtle
monitoring projects from NW
Mexico meet annually to share
data and describe regional trends.
Stranding and tracking data from
ProCAGUAMA were presented and
discussed.
Fisher Workshops: Bahia
Magdalena region, April-Sept 2004,
to discuss mitigation options with
local cooperatives for regional
halibut shery.
2nd Annual Turtle Festival: Puerto
A. Lopez Mateos, August, 2004.
This annual event brought together
the people of the Bahia Magdalena
region to celebrate loggerhead
turtles as natural treasures special
to the BCS coast. Several thousand
people participated in the 2004
Festival.
The following meetings were
supported during the 2005 eld
season:
7th Annual Grupo Tortuguero
Monitoring Meeting: Members of
15 communities where sea turtle
monitoring is conducted in NW
Mexico met to discuss trends and
share data, Puerto Lopez Mateos,
BCS, August 2005.
Fisher Workshops: Bahia
Magdalena region, April-Sept 2005,
to discuss mitigation options with
local cooperatives for regional
halibut and shark sheries.
3rd Annual Turtle Festival: Puerto
A. Lopez Mateos August 2005. This
annual event brings together the
people of the Bahia Magdalena
region to celebrate loggerhead
turtles as natural treasures special
to the BCS coast. Several thousand
people participated in the 2005
Festival. See Outreach section for
more details
EMERGING CONSERVATION LEADERS
(supported by ProPeninsula)
Promising local individuals are being
equipped with the information
and resources to conduct local
outreach and research activities
towards reducing sea turtle bycatch.
Current partners are being further
empowered with our latest media
offerings and enrichment through
regional meetings. Emerging leaders
were empowered in the communities
of Puerto Magdalena, Ciudad
Insurgentes, Santa Rosa, La Posa
Grande, and Santo Domingo.
INTERNSHIPS
(supported by NMFS-SWFSC
and ProPeninsula)
Eight university student interns
(7 from across Mexico and 1 from
Argentina) and ve high school
student interns (all from local shing
families see attached list at end
of chapter) worked on internships
through September 2005 in which
they conducted research and
delivered outreach programs.
LOGGERHEAD TURTLE
RESEARCH
Overview
Basic information such as the diet,
foraging behavior, and movement
of loggerhead turtles on their BCS
feeding grounds, is lacking. Such
information is critical to identifying
core foraging and developmental
grounds and reducing bycatch. In
2005, we identied for the rst time
juvenile foraging hotspots off the BCS
coast based on satellite telemetry.
Moreover, in 2005, we concluded
that net modications and other
proposed gillnet bycatch reduction
measures were ineffectual. However,
in the process of testing these
measures, we identied a discrete
zone of high loggerhead bycatch
(which corresponds to telemetry
hotspots).
In order to directly quantify and
monitor turtle mortality, we
continued to conduct systematic
shoreline surveys at Playa San Lazaro,
BCS. In addition to monitoring turtle
strandings, we assess turtle bycatch
directly through 1) a voluntary
observer program for the halibut
eet of Puerto A. Lopez Mateos and
2) opportunistic observations of other
shing eets.
MORTALITY ASSESSMENT
(supported by NMFS-SWFSC,
PACKARD, and WPFRMC)
Shoreline Surveys
Systematic surveys have been
conducted along the 45km Playa
San Lazaro since 2003. Surveys are
conducted by ATV on a daily basis
from May to September and twice
weekly from October through April.
Carcasses of three turtle species were
FIGURE 1. Turtle carcasses encountered
during systematic shoreline surveys of
Playa San Lazaro 2003-2005.
51
encountered. From 2003 to 2005,
the numbers of olive ridley and black
turtle carcasses encountered did not
change signicantly (Figure 1).
From 2003 to 2005, 982 loggerhead
carcasses stranded along the
44.3km Playa San Lazaro. 56%
fewer loggerhead carcasses were
encountered in 2004 (220) than in
2003 (394) (Figure 1). Strandings
were low again in 2005 through July
(Figure 2), when frequency increased
dramatically in August, resulting in
an overall increase in 2005 to 368
carcasses (Figure 1).
Loggerhead strandings were
considerably less common in
winter months in all years (Figure
2). Summer peaks in strandings
coincide with local sheries. Social
surveys indicated that the majority
of loggerhead bycatch in the area
occurs in local gillnets and longlines.
The conspicuous increase in
loggerhead strandings in October and
November of 2004 coincided with
intense nearshore shrimp shing by
20-40m trawlers (Figure 2). This did
not occur in 2003 or 2005. Fisheries
observations in 2005 recorded
high levels of loggerhead bycatch
in bottom-set longline and gillnet
sheries.
The mean size of loggerhead carcasses
encountered from January to
August 2004 was 68.84 cm CCL. Size
frequencies of loggerheads stranded at
Playa San Lazaro from January through
August 2004 are shown in Figure 3.
The decline in strandings in 2004
and the rst half of 2005 could be
due to several factors. Bycatch may
have declined because: 1) there were
fewer turtles in the area due to a)
population decline, or b) unfavorable
oceanographic conditions, and 2) due
to changes in shing methods to avoid
bycatch. However, since olive ridley
and black turtle carcasses numbers did
not change between years, it appears
unlikely that oceanographic conditions
would have affected only loggerheads.
It is unclear what proportion of the
decline in bycatch that these different
factors contributed.
Based on Hart et al (in press)
and Epperly et al (1996), the 982
loggerhead carcasses which stranded
at Playa San Lazaro from 2003-5
probably represent less than 30% of
total loggerhead mortality, and this
only of turtles killed nearby. Puerto
A. Lpez Mateos is one gillnet shing
community among many along
the BCS coast. Total loggerhead
mortality for the region is likely to be
considerably higher.
FISHERIES OBSERVATIONS
(supported by WPRFMC
and NMFS-SWFSC)
Bottom-set gillnet
We observed bottom set longline
and gillnet shing operations. From
June to August 2005, we made 73
day-long bottom set gillnet trips
with a total of 10 local shing crews.
Nets were checked every 24 hours,
the traditional local practice. Crews
shed nets in depths ranging from
5 to 23m. Crews were compensated
MN$500 per day (USD $50), roughly
2/3 of daily gasoline expenditure.
In 73 gillnet trips, 11 loggerhead,
1 green, and 1 olive ridley turtles
were caught. Three of the eleven
loggerheads were caught and
released alive, as were both the
green and olive ridley turtles. All
loggerheads were caught at an
average depth of 21 fathoms (range
20 to 23 fathoms). Green and olive
ridley turtles were caught at 6 and
14 fathoms, respectively. Overall,
shermen caught an average of
1.05 loggerheads per week per boat.
When shing in areas deeper than
18 fathoms (17 of 73 trips observed),
shermen caught an average of 4.52
loggerheads per week, 73% of which
were caught dead.
FIGURE 2. Loggerhead turtle carcasses encountered during systematic shoreline surveys
of Playa San Lazaro 2003-2005.
FIGURE 3. Size frequency of loggerhead
carcasses, Playa San Lazaro Jan-Aug 2004.
N=135, SD=10.34, range=49.
An Integrated Approach to Reducing Mortality of North Pacic Loggerhead Turtles in Baja California SUR, Mexico
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 52
Bottom-set Longline
In September 2005, we made 7
day-long bottom-set longline trips
with a total of 4 crews to quantify
the turtle interaction rates of this
shery operating out of Santa Rosa.
Longlines targeted shark species and
were anchored in 60 to 90m depths
and checked each day. Fishermen
used freshly caught mackerel for bait
on Japanese J-hooks with inected
shanks. Fishermen were asked about
the duration, weekly effort, and
history of using bottom-set longlines.
In 7 daylong longline trips from 7 to
26 September, 2005, 1 olive ridley
and 26 loggerhead turtles were
caught on a total of 1,200 hooks set,
resulting in a bycatch rate of 19.3
loggerheads per 1,000 hooks, or 3.85
turtles per trip. 22 of the 27 turtles
were caught dead and two more died
in the boats, resulting in a bycatch
mortality rate of 89%. With the
exception of the olive ridley, which
was released in apparently good
condition, turtles caught alive were
moribund. No black turtle and only
one olive ridley turtle were caught,
despite high numbers of olive ridleys
observed during shing observations.
Mean CCL of loggerhead turtles
caught was 79.3cm (range 65.8 to
88.0, SD 5.89), and the olive ridley
measured 71cm CCL. Fishermen
reported that they had begun shing
bottom-set longlines in August
2005 to explore protability. They
reportedly shed 5 or 6 boats for
6 days a week from early August
through the end of September with
plans to continue into the fall,
depending on shark catch.
Estimating annual, local bycatch
of loggerhead turtles
Based on gillnet sheries
observations, we combined the
average bycatch rate with the
number of pangas and length of
season to extrapolate a minimum
annual bycatch estimate for the
Puerto Lopez Mateos gillnet eet as
follows: we multiplied the average
number of turtles caught per boat
per week (4.52) by the minimum
number of boats shing (40) by
the reported proportion of time
shermen sh waters deeper than
18 fathoms (0.25) by the minimum
number of weeks shed per year (10)
and discounted by the proportion
of turtles released alive (27%).
Based on this simple calculation,
we extrapolated a minimum annual
bycatch mortality rate of 330
loggerhead turtles for the Puerto
A. Lpez Mateos gillnet eet from
sheries observations.
Based on longline sheries
observations at Santa Rosa, we
combined the average bycatch rate
with the number of pangas and
length of season to extrapolate a
minimum annual bycatch mortality
estimate for the Santa Rosa longline
eet as follows: we multiplied the
average number of turtles killed
per boat per trip (3.43) by the
minimum number of boats shing
(5) by the minimum number of
days shed per month (27). We
therefore extrapolated a minimum
annual bycatch mortality rate of 463
loggerhead turtles per month for
the Santa Rosa bottom-set longline
eet from sheries observations.
Observations of this experimental,
bottom-set longline shery would
explain the dramatic increase in
strandings at Playa San Lazaro in
August and September 2005 (Figure 2).
SEA TURTLE ECOLOGY
(supported by Packard Foundation,
NMFS-SWFSC, and TOPP)
Satellite telemetry
We instrumented 14 loggerhead
turtles with CCL of 66.0 cm in summer
2005 satellite location transmitters.
Eight of these were also equipped with
Microwave Telemetry pop-up satellite
dive recorders (Table 1). 71% or 22 of
the 29 juvenile loggerheads we have
tagged since 1998 did not leave the
Bahia de Ulloa (an 80km radius area)
in the total time tagged, strongly
implying that the area represents a
juvenile loggerhead foraging hotspot
(Figure 4).
Gut contents
A total of 17 fresh stomachs were
collected from the carcasses
encountered at Playa San Lazaro
in 2005. Contents were weighed
and keyed to the nest taxonomic
level possible. Eight of the thirteen
stomachs contained only sh. Pelagic
red crabs (Pleuroncodes planipes)
were encountered in only 4 of the
17 stomachs. Three stomachs were
53
empty. Fish species appear to be
discarded bycatch because of their
low economic value, including sea
robin (Prionotus albirostris), lizardsh
(Synodus sp.), and pacic sand perch
(Diplectrum sp.).
Past diet
Liver, skin, and bone samples were
collected from carcasses and archived
for future isotope analysis. Blood
and skin samples were collected
from live-captured turtles for the
same purpose. Samples await CITES
permits to be brought to the US.

SOLUTIONS TESTING
(supported by WPRFMC and BOI)
In partnership with Puerto A. Lopez
Mateos halibut shing cooperatives,
bycatch reduction solutions were
empirically tested. Teams of
shermen were paid to modify gear
to test for solutions. See Maldonado
report of these proceedings for
detailed presentation of research
results.
In 2004, the project investigated
bycatch reduction options, such as
decreased soak times, pulling nets
at dawn, reduced net height and
identication of loggerhead hotspots.
Following experimental results,
our sher partners demonstrated
that decreased soak times would
not be a viable solution from
their perspective, so this idea was
dismissed. Additionally, dive data from
loggerhead turtles has indicated that
they feed intensively in the hours just
after dawn. Fishers experimented
with holding their nets out of the
water for two hours after dawn in
2004, but this idea was also dismissed
as a viable option until better dive
data is available.
In 2005, upon renement of shery
experimental methods based
on results of the 2004 season
(see Maldonado report in these
proceedings), the project further
investigated bycatch reduction
options, such reduced net height and
identication of loggerhead hotspots.
Reduced net height
Halibut nets are usually 4-6m in
height. But because target halibut
are forage primarily on the benthos,
turtle bycatch in nets of 1-3m height
were compared against bycatch
in unmodied nets. In 2004, four
boats were contracted to each sh
a minimum of 15 days with both
modied and normal nets. In 2005,
ten boats were contracted to each
sh a minimum of 15 days with both
modied and normal nets for a total of
276 sets. We conclude that modifying
gillnets in this fashion does not reduce
sea turtle bycatch, and thus will
focus on encouraging shermen to
avoid loggerhead hotspots (see Zona
Auto-Protegida below).
Loggerhead hotspots
In 2004, shers reported that
loggerheads are more likely to be
caught outside 60m depth. Thus
during the rst season, effort was
made to compare bycatch rates
between sets inside and outside the
60m isobath using observer data.
Further, shers reported higher
loggerhead capture rates at a rock
reef at approximately 24 fathoms.
Results from 2004 were inconclusive.
However, upon renement of shery
experimental methods in 2005 in
conjunction with satellite telemetry,
results showed (based on gillnet
observations) that shermen catch
loggerheads in depths greater than
18 fathoms. Of their own accord,
shermen are proposing to limit
bottom shing outside 18 fathoms
in front of Puerto Adolfo Mateos.
See Zona Auto Protegida below for
more information.
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
Overview
It is difcult for many of Baja
Californias halibut and shark shers to
understand that loggerhead turtles are
endangered because they can catch
up to seventy turtles in a single day. In
partnership with the community-based
Grupo Tortuguero, we are addressing
sea turtle mortality by empowering
shers and other stakeholders
through public outreach, educational
enrichment, technical workshops, and
media campaigns using the insights
from social marketing theory and
our own experience. We develop and
deliver locally relevant and resonant
video productions, PowerPoint
presentations, information sheets,
childrens books, and comic books.
Our local conservation partners in
turn use this content to share marine
conservation lessons in their own
words for their own communities. As a
result, citizens throughout the region
are combating sea turtle poaching
and are working to reduce sea turtle
mortality in their sheries (for more
detail please see Maldonado report
in these proceedings).
FIGURE 4. Normalized kernel density map
of 9 Argos tracked juvenile loggerhead
turtles off Baja California Sur between
2002-2004 showing localized high use
areas, or hotspots. White dashed line
approximates offshore range of local
small-scale shermen (30 Nm).
Analysis conducted in collaboration
with Andreas Walli.
An Integrated Approach to Reducing Mortality of North Pacic Loggerhead Turtles in Baja California SUR, Mexico
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 54
EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH
(supported by ProPeninsula
and WPRFMC)
Our outreach programs are focused
at Puerto A. Lopez Mateos and Santo
Domingo, home to the shing eets
that are catching the most turtles.
Educational presentations were
offered in every classroom in these
towns, reaching each of the students
in the area when schools reopened in
late August of both 2004 and 2005.
PRIDE CAMPAIGN
(supported by ProPeninsula,
WPRFMC, and RARE )
Drawing on the example of various
whale festivals in the area, this
festival engages, informs, and
empowers the people of the Bahia
Magdalena region by celebrating the
unusual abundance of loggerhead
turtles in local waters. The Festival
is the cornerstone of our pride
campaign, and other activities
including local music competitions,
beach cleanups, and art contests
are being organized by outreach
coordinator Johath Laudino-Santillan
to build local peoples pride in their
natural resources. A peer-nominated,
ten-woman committee organized
both the 2004 and 2005 Festivals.
COMIC BOOKS
(supported by ProPeninsula,
WPRFMC and Defenders of Wildlife)
Engaging narrative and fetching
imagery has enabled us to convey
concepts and information that
many shermen need in order to
understand the bycatch issue and
appreciate their role in the future of
the Pacic loggerhead. We produced
our latest comic, La Caguamita
Japonesa, in partnership with Juan
Carlos Cantu from Defenders of
Wildlife. Over 1,000 copies have been
distributed in Pacic BCS shing
communities to date.
LOCAL MUSIC
(supported by ProPeninsula)
Outreach Coordinator Johath
Laudino Santillan is empowering
local musicians to create, perform,
and record songs about loggerhead
turtles. To date three groups have
been recorded. All will be showcased
at the 2006 Festival.
ALTERNATIVE INCOME SOURCES
(supported by ProPeninsula
and WPRFMC)
We are partnering with Puerto
A. Lopez Mateos whale watch
cooperatives, the BCS Tourism board,
and ecotour operators to explore
the feasibility of turtle ecotour
programs. The promotion and
development of turtle ecotourism
in these communities could provide
alternative income to halibut
gillnetters.
GREEN MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
(supported by ProPeninsula
and WPFMC)
We are investigating the feasibility of
green market certication for halibut.
Ideally, a system for certifying turtle-
safe halibut could be established
to leverage market support for
responsible shing practices. Recent
advances, such as the certication
of spiny lobster sheries along Baja
Californias Pacic coast by the
Marine Stewardship Council, may
provide a relevant roadmap.
SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSESSMENT
(supported by ProPeninsula
and WPRFMC)
The ultimate measure for the success
of our initiatives will be decreased
loggerhead mortality; however,
interpreting trends in mortality can
be problematic. For instance, fewer
dead turtles in local halibut nets
could be due to either: 1) cleaner
shing practices, or 2) lower overall
turtle abundance.
Johath Laudino planning with Festival
Committee members.
Turtle outreach at Puerto Magdalena
school.
Comic book created and
distributed in 2005.
55
It is therefore important for us
to assess the effectiveness of our
outreach, network-building, and
research initiatives for two reasons.
First, we need to monitor sher
attitudes and practices to know what
we are accomplishing. Second, we
need to better understand sher
attitudes and practices in order to
improve and rene our initiatives. For
these reasons, we are partnering with
experts in the eld of community-
based social marketing to help us
assess the effects and rene the
methods of our initiatives.
Community-based social marketing
(CBSM) is based on social psychology
behavior modication theory, and
CBSM advocates a four-step process
that rst seeks to identify the key
factors that determine a particular
behavior in a particular population.
Once a thorough understanding of a
behavior has been accomplished, an
appropriate social marketing program
may be designed, a pilot program may
be tested (and revised if necessary),
and a program promoting a particular
behavior may be implemented and
evaluated (McKenzie-Mohr, 2000).
Accordingly, a mixed methods design
study was undertaken in July and
August 2004 to qualitatively and
quantitatively assess key factors
associated with sea turtle mortality,
exploitation and conservation in
the Bahia Magdalena region. The
initial, qualitative phase of this study
used both personal observation
of and informal interviews with a
representative sample of shers and
residents to identify key themes
associated with sea turtle mortality,
exploitation and conservation in the
region.
The second, quantitative phase of
the study in 2004 used a survey
questionnaire to determine the
extent to which the factors identied
in the rst phase of this study are
generally and signicantly associated
with sea turtle mortality and
exploitation in the larger population
of shers and others in the major
communities in the Bahia Magdalena
region. Data from the 2004 study
were used to rene and implement
our strategic, culturally appropriate
communication and education
campaigns to reduce sea turtle
bycatch and exploitation during the
upcoming season.
In 2005, assessments of the various
sea turtle conservation issues
were accomplished by means of a
survey questionnaire, which was
administered during July and August
of 2005 in the communities of
Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos (n=100),
Puerto Bahia Magdalena (n=26), and
Santo Domingo (n=25). To provide
perspective on survey data from
2005, similar survey data from 2004
are compared to 2005 data. While
the community of Puerto San Carlos
was surveyed in 2004, data were not
collected in this locale in 2005. An
atmosphere of social and political
animosity towards environmental
conservation and conservationists
existed in San Carlos during the
summer of 2005, which precluded the
possibility collecting unbiased data
and ensuring the safety of surveyors.
The atmosphere of animosity in
San Carlos was a direct result of the
Mexican governments decision to
declare the Bahia Magdalena region
(as well as all coastal island regions
in Baja California and Baja California
Sur) a protected area. Unfortunately,
in Baja California Sur, no assessment
of the ecological, social, political, or
economic impacts of declaring these
coastal island regions protected
areas was actually performed by
the Mexican government. In short,
local people were not involved in a
decision that they perceived to be a
direct threat to their livelihoods and
lifeworlds. As a result of the social and
political outcry, the decision to declare
these coastal island regions protected
areas was rescinded for Baja California
Sur. Nonetheless, feelings of distrust
and resentment toward the Mexican
government and environmental
conservationists lingered in local
communities in summer 2005.
However, by winter 2006 conservation
attitude had rebounded, as
demonstrated by local shers
embrace of the Zona Auto-Protegida.
Clearly, it is essential to involve
local people in decisions that impact
their lives. Moreover, environmental
conservation initiatives must address
not only ecological factors, but rather
social and economic concerns of local
peoples as well.
SUMMARY OF SOCIAL
SCIENCE RESEARCH RESULTS
2

Both prevalence and frequency of
sea turtle consumption appear to
have decreased at least slightly
from 2004 to 2005. Moreover,
approximately three-fourths of
respondents indicate that sea turtle
consumption has declined over the
past ve years.
Trash continues to be viewed as
the most serious environmental
problem in the Bahia Magdalena
region. While most people
(42%) report that environmental
conditions have not changed
over the past ve years, more
respondents report deteriorating
(34%) rather than improving (21%)
environmental conditions.
This year, incidental bycatch is
2
The complete social science project reports for 2004 and 2005, Local Perceptions and Environmental Conservation: A Study of Human Consumption, Exploitation, and Conservation
of Endangered Sea Turtles in the Baja California Region of Mexico, are available upon request from the WPRFMC.
An Integrated Approach to Reducing Mortality of North Pacic Loggerhead Turtles in Baja California SUR, Mexico
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 56
viewed as the greatest threat to
sea turtles (34% of respondents),
followed by human consumption
(30% of respondents) and illegal
capture (13% of respondents).
However, most respondents (43%)
report that threats to sea turtles
are generally less than they were
ve years ago.
Most respondents (36%)
indicated that Grupo Tortugero
and ProCaguama have made the
greatest progress toward sea turtle
conservation over the past ve
years. In ranking the efcacy of
sea turtle conservation efforts on
a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best),
respondents on average awarded
a grade of 9.6 to Grupo Tortugero/
ProCaguama.
Potential human health risks
associated with the consumption
of sea turtle meat and eggs: a
global perspective has been
submitted for publication to
EcoHealth and will serve as a
scientic basis for the Las Tortugas
Marinas y Tu Salud public health/
sea turtle conservation campaign.
A Las Tortugas Marinas y Tu Salud
media campaign will be developed
in collaboration with and nanced
by Greenpeace.
Production of a comic (in
collaboration with Defenders of
Wildlife and Greenpeace) that
creatively illustrates human-sea
turtle health themes is in the nal
stages of development.
A collaboration between the
Secretara de Salud (Secretary
of Health) of Baja California Sur
and Proyecto Salud Humana-
Ecosistema is in its formative
stage.
A campaign informing the
public of the potential health
risks associated with human
consumption of sea turtle would
be an effective means to mitigate
consumption of these endangered
species. While most people (62%)
believe that sea turtle is a healthy
food, the vast majority (81%)
would stop eating sea turtle if they
learned it was in fact an unhealthy
food.
ACTIONS IN PROGRESS/
PROPOSED FOR 2006
COMMUNITY CONSERVATION
NETWORKS
LOCAL LOGGERHEAD RESERVE
(supported by ProPeninsula
and WPRFMC)
In response to local shers calls
for a local no-shing loggerhead
reserve (based on our turtle foraging
and bycatch hotspots, see section:
Loggerhead Turtle Research), we
are partnering with shermens
co-operatives and local government
to ofcially designate the reserve.
In winter and spring 2006, pending
support, we plan to involve state
and federal ofcials from agencies
including PROFEPA, PESCA, SAGARPA,
and CONANP in order to authorize
local shermen to ofcially designate
and protect the loggerhead reserve.
COMMUNITY ENFORCEMENT
PROGRAMS (supported by WPRFMC)
We are facilitating the establishment
of PROFEPA community enforcement
programs in the community of Puerto
A. Lopez Mateos. Community-based
enforcement programs are designed
to supplement the limited number of
and resources for PROFEPA agents.
TURTLE ECOTOURISM
(supported by ProPeninsula
and WPRFMC)
We are partnering with Puerto
A. Lopez Mateos whale watch
cooperatives, BCS Tourism board,
municipal, county and state
politicians, and ecotour operators
to plan and license turtle ecotour
programs. Pending funding, in
spring 2006, we will offer a turtle
guide training program and
establish offshore tourism safety
guidelines. The promotion and
development of turtle ecotourism in
these communities would provide
alternative income to local small-
scale shermen.
LOGGERHEAD TURTLE
RESEARCH

MONITORING
TURTLE MORTALITY
Through 2006, index beach surveys
will be continued to resolve
patterns in bycatch location and
frequency.
Ongoing surveys of shers to
determine bycatch and hunting-
related mortality.
Fisheries observations will be made
from Puerto Lpez Mateos and
from 6 other shing communities
which potentially overlap the
loggerhead high use area.

SEA TURTLE ECOLOGY
Deploy satellite transmitters in
collaboration with NOAA Fisheries.
Deploy TDRs to determine dive
behavior of loggerheads to use
reduce turtle bycatch.
Combine hydrographic surveys
with real-time turtle tracking to
elucidate the degree to which red
crab distribution inuences turtle
distribution and abundance.
Denitively determine proximate
loggerhead diet off BCS through
analysis of fresh stomachs
(collected on beach surveys and
from nets).
Collect samples to assess historical
loggerhead diet through stable
isotope analysis.
Publish results of hotspots analysis
of loggerhead high use areas.
57
STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATION
All previous strategies, including:
Pride Campaign; Comic Books; Local
Music and Media Campaign, will
continue in 2006.
ZONA AUTO-PROTEGIDA
In fall 2005, shermen proposed
the establishment of a Zona Auto-
Protegida, or Fishermens Turtle
Reserve based on data generated by
this project with WPRFMC support
since 2004. Because loggerhead
strandings occur only outside 18
fathoms depth (see Maldonado
report in these proceedings),
corresponding to loggerhead foraging
hotspots (Figure 4), and because
sh landings were up to 90% lower
outside the 18 fathom isobath,
shermen have proposed to limit
shing of bottom set longlines and
gillnets outside 18 fathoms. In this
way the Zona Auto-Protegida will
dramatically reduce loggerhead
bycatch and protect them for local
ecotour operations.
In 2006, we will launch a concerted
campaign to build consensus
among local shermen and across
neighboring communities for support
for the Zona Auto Protegida. We will
also seek funding to build capacity
among whale watch guides/gillnet
shermen to run turtle ecotours.
Finally, we will partner with legal
consultants to establish federal
protection and support of the Zona
Auto-Protegida.
REFERENCES
Epperly, S.P., Braun, J., Chester, A.J.,
Cross, F.A., Merriner, J.V., Tester,
P.A., Churchill, J.H. 1996. Beach
strandings as an indicator of
at-sea mortality of sea turtles.
Bulletin of Marine Science 59:
289-297
Hart, K.M., Mooreside, P., Crowder,
L. 2006. Interpreting the spatio-
temporal patterns of sea turtle
strandings: Going with the ow.
Biological Conservation 129:
283-290
MacKenzie-Mohr, J. and W. Smith.
1999. Fostering Sustainable
Behavior: An Introduction
to Community-Based Social
Marketing. New Society
Publishers, B.C. Canada and
Academy for Educational
Development, Washington D.C.
160 pages.
TEAM proCAGUAMA 2005
PROJECT LEADERS
Stephen Delgado (assessment/social
marketing)
Johath Laudino Santilln (outreach)
David Maldonado Diaz (bycatch
reduction)
Victor de la Toba (shoreline surveys)
Wallace J. Nichols (oversight)
S. Hoyt Peckham (oversight/turtle
ecology)
UNIVERSITY STUDENT INTERNS
Bertha Montao Medrano (UABCS)
Ruth Ochoa Diaz (CICIMAR)
David Soriano (IPN)
David Ramirez (IPN)
Edgar Caballero (UABCS)
Alejandro Gaos (PRETOMA)
Natalia Rossi (U Buenos Aires)
Rodrigo Donadi (WWF-DC)
Egle Flors (U Nacional Puebla)
WOMENS (FESTIVAL) COMMITTEE
Marina Verduzco Peralta
Ramona Collins lvarez
Juana Duarte Ramrez
Norma Ramrez Garca
Ana Bertha Cinco lvarez
Judith Romero Lucero
Lourdes de la Rosa Sandoval
Aurora de la Rosa Lucero
FISHER PARTNERS
Jose Collins Parra
Carlos Sigalas
Tony Sigalas
Alfredo de la Toba
Arturo Contreras Camacho
Arturo de la Toba Domnguez
Cesareo Castro Gonzlez
Carlos Sigala Villavicencio
Giovanni Collins Gonzlez
Refugio Villa Aguilar
Alfonso Loera de la Toba
Maricela de la Toba Miranda
Antonio Sigala Villavicencio
Leonardo de la Toba Gonzlez
Arturo de la Toba Gonzlez
Jose Maria de la Toba Gonzlez
LOCAL STUDENT ACTION GROUP
Octavio Asale Verdugo Domnguez
Vanessa Snchez Murillo
Jesus Manuel Espinosa Miranda
Perla Marina Ahumada Verduzco
Dulce Maria Baales Aguilar
Oyuki Yoshimara Silva Osuna
Felizardo Jesus Felix Verdugo
Griselda Guadalupe Aragn Zamora
Manuel Antonio Murillo
Frania Alejandra Ventura Vazquez
Citlali Guadalupe Meza Domnguez
An Integrated Approach to Reducing Mortality of North Pacic Loggerhead Turtles in Baja California SUR, Mexico
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 58
59
Reducing the Bycatch of Loggerhead
Turtle (Caretta caretta) in Baja California
SUR: Experimental Modication of
Gillnets for Fishing Halibut
1

David Maldonado,
Hoyt Peckham, and
Dr. Wallace J. Nichols
ProPeninsula
SUMMARY (2004)
During July-August 2004, a study
was undertaken to both characterize
the halibut gillnet shery operating
out of the west coast of Magdalena
Island, Baja California SUR, as well
as implement experimental sets
to investigate possible mitigation
or gear modication measures
for the shery. 117 gillnet sets
for halibut were carried out on
with experimental gillnets of
approximately 240 meters in length.
Each experimental gillnet had
four sections, two conventional
sections (CS), of 60m each with a
conventional depth of 2 fathoms
(20 meshes deep) and length of the
suspenders of 1.8m and, alternated,
two test sections (TS) with a depth
reduced to 1 fathom (10 meshes
deep) and length of the suspenders
shortened to 1m. The overall effect
of the type of net (i.e., CS vs. TS) on
sh catch and the bycatch of sea
turtles was evaluated. A total of
2,180 sh of 27 different species was
recorded. The dominant species were
guitarsh (712 sh) and halibut (479
sh), which as a group represented
75% of the total value of the catch.
Comparing the catch in weight of the
CS (2,686 Kg.) to that of the TS (1,252
Kg.) showed a statistically signicant
difference F=23.0069 p <.05. The
possible causes of these differences
are discussed. In 117 gillnet sets,
only one green sea turtle Chelonia
mydas was taken in a conventional,
non-experimental, section.
SUMMARY (2005)
During July-August 2005, testing
of modications of halibut gillnets
started in 2004 by ProCaguama
were continued, this time reducing
the length of the suspenders to
1m and keeping the net depth
to 10 meshes. This experiment
was performed in two phases,
setting the nets at three different
deep levels in the second phase
exclusively. Statistical similarity in
the performance of testing segments
(TS) and conventional segments (CS)
was observed. In 276 settings (129
corresponding to phase one and 146
to phase two), 16 sea turtles were
captured (3 corresponding to phase
one and 13 to phase two); 4 green
turtles (Chelonia mydas), one olive
ridley (Lepidochelis olivacea) and
9 Loggerheads (Caretta caretta).
A strong correlation between depth
of net setting and turtle bycatch
was observed. Possible causes of this
correlation are discussed. In 2005,
activities focused on shermens
involvement were intensied that
helped identify regulation and
eco-tourism as two strategies that
can help to reduce turtle mortality
at the area. Also, use of bottom set
longliners was identied as another
important source of turtle mortality
at the area.
1
Due to the delay in producing these workshop proceedings, the papers and results from both the 2004 and 2005
season are melded together into one nal report. As a result, the evolution of the project is obvious as well as how
the project has been rened over time to quantify results. This study is a sub-contract of contracts: 04-WPC-013 and
05-WPC-018, NOAA award #: NA03NMF4110017 and NA04NMF4410039.
Fishermen displaying experimental
gillnets.
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 60
RESUMEN (2005)
Durante los meses de Julio y Agosto
del 2005 se dio continuidad a la
evaluacin de modicaciones de
redes para lenguado iniciada durante
la temporada anterior del proyecto
(ver informe tcnico 2004), esta vez
reduciendo el largo de los tirantes
a 1 m y manteniendo la cada de
la red a 10 mallas. El experimento
se dividi en dos fases, haciendo
tendidos a tres diferentes niveles
de profundidad durante la segunda
fase. A diferencia de la temporada
anterior, el rendimiento en la captura
de peces de los segmentos de
prueba (TS) no mostr desventaja
en comparacin con los segmentos
convencionales (CS). En 276 lances
(129 de la primera fase ms 146 de
la segunda) se capturaron un total
de 16 tortugas (3 en la primera
fase y 13 en la segunda), cuatro
prietas (Chelonia mydas), una golta
(Lepidochelis olivacea) y 9 amarillas
(Caretta caretta), encontrndose
una estrecha relacin entre la
profundidad de los tendidos y el
nmero de tortugas capturadas. Se
discuten los resultados. Por otro lado,
se intensicaron las actividades para
fortalecer el involucramiento de los
pescadores llegndose a identicar la
autorregulacin y el ecoturismo como
dos alternativas con potencial para
reducir la mortalidad de tortugas
en el rea a travs de talleres de
trabajo con su participacin. Tambin
se identic, a travs de visitas a
diferentes campos pesqueros de la
regin, el uso de simbras de fondo
como otra causa importante de la
mortalidad de tortugas marinas.
INTRODUCTION
Bycatch in gillnets used for capture
of marine resources such as halibut is
currently one of the most important
causes of death of loggerhead
turtles in Baja California. The
ProCAGUAMA 2004 season focused
on several actions for the protection
of loggerheads that included: more
effective law enforcement (with
the facilitation and aid of Mexican
authorities); environmental education;
sensitizing of the local communities
to decrease the consumption of turtle
meat; research on the ecology of the
species, and monitoring of sea turtle
populations and mortality assessment
via stranding surveys along the 45 km
of beaches of Magdalena Island, Baja
California SUR. Also undertaken was
a project to characterize the halibut
gillnet shery operating out of the
west coast of Magdalena Island, as
well as implement experimental sets
to investigate possible mitigation or
gear modication measures for the
shery.
Considering the results of the 2004
season, the 2005 season maintained
the depth reduction of the gillnets
as an alternative in order to achieve
the planned objective of reducing
the bycatch of sea turtles. However,
to improve the evaluation of this
experiment, the assembling of
the experimental gillnets was
standardized, so the effect of the
length of the suspenders and the
depth of the gillnet could be evaluated
in terms of the performance of the
shing equipment. Also, records
during the entire shing season were
carried out in order to consider all the
seasonal variations in the composition
of the catch.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
To reduce loggerhead mortality via
bycatch in halibut gillnets, while
maintaining the performance of
shing equipment for halibut and
other species of high commercial
value.
To actively involve the small scale
shermen of Puerto Magdalena
and Puerto Lpez Mateos in
conservation, shery experiments,
and sea turtle protection activities.
PROJECT GOALS
To evaluate the shery and
investigate shery alternatives on
their effect on the quantity and
composition of catch and bycatch
of sea turtles.
In 2004: To evaluate the effect of
reducing net depth and suspenders
length (lines used to form a bag
in the net by drawing the leadline
and oatline closer together) of the
halibut gillnets on the quantity,
composition and economic value of
the catch and on the bycatch of sea
turtle.
In 2005: Based on the results of the
2004 experimental modications,
shermen were reconsulted via
workshops and their suggestions
were used to rene the alternatives
tested in 2004 and investigate the
experimental placement of nets to
quantify if net depth has an effect
on the composition of catch and
bycatch of sea turtles.
METHODOLOGY
Fishermen Enrollment. In order
to facilitate the participation of
the shermen in the experimental
design, in the data collection and in
increasing their involvement relating
to actions of conservation, meetings
were organized at Puerto Magdalena
and Puerto Adolfo Lpez Mateos. The
problems of loggerhead turtle were
discussed, the results obtained in the
workshops sessions were reviewed
and the dynamics of the project were
explained. Informative brochures were
distributed in both communities with
the same information, and individual
informal interviews were carried out.
Fishermen willing to participate,
whether by directly modifying their
shing equipment or by contributing
complementary information to the
project, were engaged.
61
In 2004, four shing teams, utilizing
two gillnets each, were contracted
to sh with modied nets. As a
complementary action of local
involvement, a local sherman was
hired to monitor the net tests, along
with research interns who were also
responsible for the project.
In 2005, shermen were provided
updated information regarding
results from the gillnet modication
experiments in 2004, stranding
surveys, and data collection
methodology. Fishermen were thus
engaged in discussion regarding
planning activities for the coming
2005 season. In order to involve a
greater number of shermen in the
project, it was decided to work with
two different groups of ve teams.
Again, shers were granted interns
to participate in data collection,
thus giving more condence to the
experimental results.
The assembling of experimental
gillnets (2004). Design of
experimental nets was arrived at
through extensive discussion with
the four shing teams involved.
Each gillnet was divided into four
sections, two conventional sections
(CS) and two test sections (TS), of
approximately 60 meters in length
each. The CS had a net depth of
2 fathoms approximately with
suspenders of 1.8 m, while the TS had
a net depth reduced to 1 fathom and
suspenders reduced to 1 meter.
The assembling of experimental
gillnets (2005). Design of
experimental gillnets was arrived at
through extensive discussion with the
shing teams involved this year and
those shermen who participated
in the 2004 experimental phase.
This year, each gillnet was divided
into four sections, of approximately
100 meters in length each, two
conventional sections (CS) and
two test sections (TS). the CS had
suspenders of 1.8 m, while the TS had
suspenders shortened to 1 meter;
both the CS and the TS had a net
depth of 2 fathoms approximately
(20 meshes deep).
Number of shing teams (2004). Four
boats participated, each boat with
two experimental gillnets.

Areas for anchoring experimental
gillnets (2004). The areas for the
anchoring of the experimental
gillnets were not assigned, but rather
left to the to the decision of the
shermen, whose selection of the
area was based on their personal
knowledge of the availability of sh
just as it occurs in non -experimental
conditions
Number of sets and areas for
anchoring experimental gillnets
(2005). The 2005 experimental
gillnet test was performed in two
phases. In each one of these phases
5 teams participated with two
gillnets and 15 days of work (150 sets
total by phase). In the rst phase
of the experiment, the areas for
the anchoring of the experimental
gillnets were, in the same way than
2004 season, not assigned, but
rather left to the decision of the
shermen, whose selection of the
area was based on their personal
knowledge of the availability of sh
just as it occurs in non-experimental
conditions. In the second phase, and
because during the performance of
the rst phase of the experiment,
data collection was concentrated in
shallow waters, the methodology
was modied by asking the shermen
to separate the total 15 days of the
test in 5 days periods and to set the
gillnets in three different levels of
depth: shallow waters (depth less
than 10 fathoms); middle depth
waters (depths between 10 and 16
fathoms); and deep waters (beyond
17 fathoms).
DATA COLLECTION
(2004 AND 2005):
The collection consisted of the
following:
Date
Starting Time and End time of each
anchoring
Team number.
Recorder.
Starting and ending GPS
Coordinates of each anchoring.
Depth.
Type of sea oor.
Surface water temperature.
Catch per species in number of sh
and total weight for the CS and TS
of the experimental gillnets.
Comments.
In the case of sea turtle bycatch:
Species
Status (alive or dead).
Length and width of carapace.
Capturing section (conventional or
test).
Equipment used. For the registration
of geographic location, Garmin GPSs
model Geko were used. Depth and
temperature were measured with
portable depth sounders.
Analysis of catch (2004). In order to
compare the relative importance and
value of each species in the catch and
to evaluate the effect on the income
of the sherman with modications
made to the gillnets, an Index of
Bio-economic Importance (Daz and
Ramrez 2004, in preparation) was
calculated for each species in the
following way:
IIBEj = (% Ci +%Vi)*%Fi
Where, IIBEi: index of Bio-economic
importance of the species i; % Ci:
percentage in weight of the species
i in the total catch (weight of sh
cleaned); % V: percentage in price
of the species i in the total value of
the catch; % Fi percentage of the
Reducing the Bycatch of Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta) in Baja California SUR:
Experimental Modication of Gillnets for Fishing Halibut
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 62
number of sets in which the species i
appears in the total number of sets
registered.
The volume of catch in weight of
gutted sh was calculated using an
index of conversion calculated for
each species from actual weights
of the whole and gutted sh of a
sample. The index used for each
species is presented in Appendix 2
(at end of this report).
The Index of Bio-economic
Importance was used to establish a
hierarchical order of the resources
and its relative importance to the
value of the catch that is obtained
with the experimental gillnet.
RESULTS
Fishery Characterization
The Halibut Fishery operating
in Magdalena Bay. An artisanal
shery for halibut (see Appendix
2 for the scientic names of all
species mentioned in this report) in
Magdalena Bay has been conducted
for several decades from small boats
near the coast. The equipment that
is used consists of boats of 21-25
feet long using outboard motor of
55-85 hp. These boats are commonly
operated by two shermen. The
shing gear utilized are gillnets
that are usually 60 m (130 fathoms
long) and 2-3 fathoms in depth
with a stretched mesh size of 8
inches. In some cases, another kind
of gillnet that is deeper (up to 5
fathoms) and has a larger mesh size
is used for snapper. According to
some shermen of the community
of Puerto Magdalena, this deeper
gillnet catches a higher number of
sea turtles. The gillnets are anchored
in sandy or rocky sea oors, and
checked each morning to collect the
catch. The gillnets are set in depths
between one to thirty fathoms and
remain anchored in the same place
for several days until the sherman
considers that there is a decrease in
catch in that area and consequently
will move to another place looking
for a greater catch.
It is important to consider that
several years ago, the halibut
shery was performed with line and
shhook. Currently, there are few
cases of shermen who still practice
this shing method, however, it
requires considerably greater skill
and effort to obtain the same
amount of catch. Because the price
of the sh does not depend on the
shing equipment used, the present
tendency is to abandon the use of
shhook and use of gillnets. Fishing
for halibut is an activity, of medium
economic importance in the area,
given the existence of better paying
marine activities such as lobster or
shrimp shing and whale watching
tours during the gray whale season.
The halibut shing season falls
between whale watching season,
and the shrimp and lobster shing
season (Table 1). The largest number
of shermen shing halibut live
in the two communities of Puerto
Magdalena (24 37 N and 112 08W)
and Puerto Adolfo Lpez Mateos
(25 12 N and 112 07 W).
The Halibut Fishery of Puerto
Magdalena. Approximately 10 boats
are dedicated to shing halibut
in Puerto Magdalena. Given their
location, the gillnets set outside of
the Bay represents a greater expense
of fuel and physical effort, so they
concentrate their activity inside
Magdalena Bay and less frequently
on the Pacic side, where they only
sh when the product is scarce
inside the Bay. The place where the
gillnet is placed also determines how
frequently it is checked. If it is placed
inside the Bay it is checked twice a
day; but if is placed outside the Bay,
it will be checked only once a day.
The Halibut Fishery of Puerto
A. Lpez Mateos. Currently, in
Puerto Adolfo Lpez Mateos, 50
to 60 boats are dedicated to this
activity, concentrating the area of
shing in two areas: the rst found
between 6 and 12 fathoms deep,
and the second one, approximately
23 fathoms deep. These areas are
not exploited equally. While the
shallower area results in a less
expense of fuel, the deeper area is
utilized when there is poor shing
in the nearby areas. Although
the target species is halibut,
other species with commercial
value exist such as guitarsh and
triggersh, which represent a very
high percentage of the shermens
incomes in some cases. According
to the shermen, the proportional
volume between the target species
(halibut) and the secondary species
varies in the course of the season,
registering a peak in halibut catch
during May and June (spawning
season) and a greater proportional
volume in secondary species catch
at the end of the halibut shing
season.
FISHERY EXPERIMENTAL
GILLNETS
Number of sets (2004). Each
boat performed 15 shing trips in
consecutive days, resulting in a
total of 117 sets with experimental
gillnets between July 29 to August
13, 2004. During three of the shing
trips, it was not possible to record
data from one of the experimental
gillnets due to damage that required
major repair.
Number of sets (2005). For the
phase one of the experiment, a
total of 129 sets were performed
between June 18 to July 12, 2005.
In the phase two of the experiment,
a total of 147 sets were performed
between July 12 to July 31, 2005.
63
Area and depths of sampling (2004).
The map shows the points where the
experimental sets were performed.
Due to the availability of product
during to season in nearby areas, the
total of the sets were performed in
shallow waters with depths between
4.5 and 19 fathoms. Average value
of depth = 11.09 fathoms. SD = 3.13.
The type of sea oor, where the
experimental gillnets were set varied
between sandy, hard bottom and
rocky.
Area and depth of sampling (2005).
In phase one, the total of the sets
were performed in waters with
depths between 1.22 and 12.67
fathoms. (Average=7.48 n=129).
These sets were performed in areas
where the shermen considered to
have a greater availability of product.
The type of sea oor where the
experimental gillnets were set varied
between sandy (26 sets registered),
hard bottom (18 sets registered)
and rocky (43 sets registered). In the
second phase of the experiment,
45 sets were performed in shallow
waters, in depths between 3 and
9 fathoms; 66 sets performed in
depths between 10 and 17 fathoms
and 33 sets in depth between
17 and 23 fathoms.
Catch per type of resource (2004).
A total of 2,180 sh and 3,938 kg
in weight (whole sh) belonging to
27 species (in some cases, different
groups of species) were registered
when CS and TS catch were
considered together. Table 2 shows
the number of sh and weight by
species, as well as the relative price
of the product in pesos and the IIBE
(see the annex for reference of each
species). The dominant species in
biomass (weight of gutted sh) were
the guitar sh (34.11% of total catch)
and the halibut (29.6% including 1st
and 2nd size). These two species
represent more than the 75% of the
total value of catch, while 90% of
Reducing the Bycatch of Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta) in Baja California SUR:
Experimental Modication of Gillnets for Fishing Halibut
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 64
the total value of the catch can be
reached if including the value of the
spotted sandbass, the trigger sh,
the mojarra, the hammerhead, and
the eagle ray.
Catch per type of section (2004).
Comparing the catch in weight in
the CSs (2,686 Kg.) and the TSs
(1,252 Kg.), a statistically signicant
difference was observed F=23.0069 p
<.05. In this way, the catch obtained
with the CSs contributed 68%
(20,507 pesos) of the total value
whereas the TSs contributed 32%
(9,475 pesos) of the total value.
Tables 3 and 4 show the catch
by type of section, as well as the
values of IIBE calculated in base to
the catch of the type of section.
Figure 1 is halibut catch reported by
government ofce in Lopez Mateos,
SAGARPA-CONAPESCA.
Bycatch of sea turtles (2004). Only
one record of bycatch of sea turtle
was registered in experimental
gillnets. It was a specimen of green
turtle (Chelonia mydas) with a
carapace 51 cm in length by 42 cm
wide captured in August 12 (25
12.237N 112 10.538W). This
turtle was enmeshed in a CS of the
experimental gillnet which was set in
a rocky sea oor. The turtle was alive
at the time the gillnet was checked
thus it was returned to the sea in
good condition for surviving.
Catch per type of section (2005).
Table 5 shows catch in number of
sh (items), and kilograms for phase
one and two. It also shows the
catch for halibut as the species more
representative of the actual value of
the catch. Catch rates were identied
in terms of water depth, such as
shallow water (SW), medium depth
water (MW), and deep water (DW).
Bycatch of sea turtles (2005). In
276 settings (129 corresponding to
phase one and 146 to phase two), 16
sea turtles were captured (Table 6).
During the rst experimental phase,
three sea turtles were captured.
There were three specimens of green
turtle (Chelonia mydas). During the
second phase of the experiment,
13 sea turtles were captured. There
were one specimen of green turtle
(Chelonia mydas), one specimen of
Olives Ridley, (Lepdochelis olivacea)
and 11 specimens of loggerheads
(Caretta caretta).
In Table 7, bycatch of sea turtles,
particularly of loggerhead, by type
of net (CS or TS) and depth of setting
are compared (both phases included).
FIGURE 1. Halibut catch at the area of
Lpez Mateos during 2003-2004 shing
seasons.
In Table 7, bycatch of sea turtles, particularly of loggerhead, by type of net (CS or TS)
and depth of setting are compared (both phases included).
65
DISCUSSION
Involvement of shermen in
the process of protection and
conservation of sea turtles.
Enrollment and involvement of
shermen in the experimental
component of the project is taken
to be a sign of increased awareness
for the protection of sea turtles.
This process will be facilitated in
the future by the multiplicative
effect of all those who supported
the project. Particularly noteworthy
is the increase of shers attending
workshops from 2004 to 2005.
Throughout the project, shermen
have become increasingly more
organized and supportive of each
other to avoid illegal activities
commonly linked to a greater
impact on sh resources and shing
economy. Interest in alternatives,
such as the promotion of eco-tourism
(to include turtle and bird watching,
camping on the dunes, visits to the
estuaries, etc.) or sport shing, was
shown as complementary activities
to the commercial shing. The
shermen of the area already have a
very clear idea of the requirements
of this kind of activity, because they
have acquired skills, as managers and
guides, for whale watching activities
in winter time.
This kind of organization is expected
to help reduce the impact on the
sea turtle populations. Related to
aspects such as zoning focused to
promote a more efcient, rational,
and responsible use of the local
natural resources, are also reducing
the pressure on all other prohibited
resources. In relation to this last
point, it was agreed that shermen
would formulate a proposal, with
the help of Procaguama, to be
presented in the second weekend
of January 2006 to be analyzed and,
if possible, applied in the summer
2007 in an experimental way. The
goal of this experimental eco-tourism
program would be to get the
shermen interested in the process
as a potential economic alternative
for them. It is important to note the
positive effect of motivating the
participation of these people through
public acknowledgements for those
who collaborated (see Appendix 1 at
the end of this chapter).
Importance of the shing activity at
the area. Small scale shing of this
kind is not a highly lucrative activity
for the local communities, compared
to other activities such as whale
watching or shrimp or lobster shing.
But during those months of the year
when there is not availability of these
resources (April-August), its relative
importance is higher because there
are few alternatives for work (Table 1).
However, developing alternatives of
sustainable use of natural resources
in those months are possible, such
as turtle tours, sport shing or bird
watching. We recommend such
promotion in order of reduce the
impact of shing on sea turtles.
Performance of the experimental
gillnets (2004). It was hypothesized
that reducing the gillnet depth, by
using shorter suspenders and by
cutting the net might be a viable
Fishermen who attended the workshop in 2004 from
Magdalena Island.
Workshop attendance by shermen in 2005 (top & bottom).
Fishermen who attended the workshop in 2004 from Lopez
Mateos.
Reducing the Bycatch of Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta) in Baja California SUR:
Experimental Modication of Gillnets for Fishing Halibut
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 66
alternative that would result in
an shing equipment to be more
selective for abundant species of
high commercial value. As expected,
the modied gear performed better
for those species of sh living near
the seaoor (halibut, guitarsh),
that, in turn, have a relatively high
commercial value and, consequently,
represent the major value of the catch
(see Tables 2, 3 and 4). It is important
to keep a good catch performance
for any modied equipment for these
species (number and size of sh
taken), to ensure there is minimum
or no decrease of the shermens
income. In addition, using a shortened
gillnet would result in a lower price of
the shing equipment.
Besides the net depth and the
suspenders length, other factors
exist that can affect the performance
of the gillnets which were not
possible to evaluate. Some of them
were related with the way the
experimental gillnets were assembled
and others with the timing of the data
collection.
In relation to the assembling
the experimental gillnets, the
conventional sections (CS) of nets
Catch from the experimental gillnets.
were made of a mesh of 8, while
the test sections (TS) used a mesh
of 7.5. This inconsistency was due
to the unavailability in the market of
the larger size mesh. This difference,
according to the perception of the
shermen, could cause a poorer
efciency of the TS to catch sh of
greater size. This was supported in the
case of the halibut, the CS presented a
greater proportion of rst class halibut
(more than 2 kg), whereas the TS
took a greater proportion of halibut of
second class of smaller size (less than
2 kg). Also, according to the opinion
of the shermen, the decrease in the
net depth of the TS caused a reduction
of the size of the bag that is formed in
the bottom of the gillnet once this is
set. This bag helps to enmesh sh that
touch the gillnet due to the movement
of the prey trying to get free. From
these comments, the suggestion came
to assemble the gillnets with bales
of deeper netting (8 feet) in order to
keep an adequate proportion among
the length of the suspenders and the
depth of the mesh.
Regarding the timing of the
experiment, the shing season for
halibut in 2004 started in early
May with a peak of captures at
the end of the same month. If the
catch of the target species (e.g.,
halibut) decreases, the shery of
secondary species, such as guitarsh
or triggersh, continues. This can
cause the results of evaluating the
effect in the income of the shermen
to be imprecise because they are
not representative of the whole
shing season. For this reason, it is
recommended to record the entire
shing season to ensure that changes
in the availability of some species
with a high price (halibut) or big
volumes (triggersh, guitarsh) can
be evaluated.
Bycatch of sea turtles in the
experimental gillnets (2004). Based
on the stranding rates of sea turtles
(see Peckham report Figure 2, these
proceedings) and volumes of halibut
catch according to information
provided by SAGARPA-CONAPESCA
ofce in the area of Lpez Mateos
during 2003 and 2004 (Figure 1), a
coincidence can be seen in the annual
halibut shing season and the number
of beached turtles. This information is
also supported by the data provided
by the shermen during the months
when this activity is carried out.
However, only one sea turtle was
caught during the experimental gillnet
study. This could be the result of
several factors: 1) a difference in time
between the halibut shing season
and the time of high concentration
of sea turtles at the area due to
unidentied environmental factors; or
2) performance of the shing activities
in different areas from those of high
concentration of the sea turtles. It is
important to emphasize that during
the experiment, the shermen shed
exclusively in shallow waters near to
the coast where there seems to be a
lesser concentration of sea turtles.
Unfortunately, because of the low
catch rate of sea turtles in the
experimental component of the study,
results are inconclusive for making
any solid recommendations about
reduced net height or depth. However,
considering that reducing the depth of
gillnets may reduce the bycatch of sea
turtles, this option continues to be a
viable alternative to test in the future.
Performance of the experimental
gillnets in 2005. In 2005, about
10 percent of the shing eet
participated in the project
(approximately 50 boats). In contrast
to the 2004 season, the 2005 recorded
catch data during the entire shing
season to assist in quantifying
variations caused by the availability
of species of high commercial value.
Also, the experimental gillnets were
standardized in relation to length
and mesh size. This made it possible
67
to obtain more precise results. In
2005, no additional experimental
variables were added, however, and
renement to the gear was made to
provide greater understanding of the
performance measures of reducing
gillnet depth (by using shorter
suspenders, thus shing deeper), and
the placement of nets to quantify the
effects of shing deep versus shallow.
In the rst phase, the experimental
gillnet performance showed an
important difference between the CS
and the TS in that the TS were more
efcient in catching sh (896 utilizing
CS vs. 1,309 in TS) and in total catch
weight (2,397.5 kg in CS vs. 3,330.2 kg
in TS). In the second phase, shallow
water settings contributed to the
34.5% of the total catch in the second
phase of the experiment; middle
water settings contributed with 52%
of the catch; and the deep water
settings contributed with 13.4%
when number of sh considered. This
supports the fact that the availability
of sh is higher in depths lower than
16 fathoms. Also, there was higher
contribution of the TS to the catch in
any of the depths the experimental
gillnets. Thus shortening of the
suspenders in the experimental nets
helped to get higher catch rates of
sh.
Bycatch of sea turtles in the
experimental gillnets (2005). In both
the rst and the second phases of
the experiment, the proportion of
sea turtles caught in the TS vs the CS
does not support that the shortening
of the suspenders could help to
reduce the bycatch of sea turtles or
that it helps to reduce the number
of sea turtles dead in the gillnets
(Table 7). In the second phase of the
experiment, there was remarkably
strong correlation between depth of
net setting and turtle bycatch (Table
6), and the frequency of dead turtles
caught in deep water. Taken this into
consideration, it is very important
that the depth and capture rates
be discussed at coming workshops.
Avoiding shing in depths shallower
than 12 fathoms may be an effective
measure to reduce sea turtle bycatch
and mortality.
Importance of other shing activities
in the area in relation to sea turtle
mortality (2005). The number of
sea turtle strandings recorded
by the monitoring of San Lzaro
beach in 2005 (see Peckham report,
Figure 2, these proceedings) is not
totally explainable by the estimated
mortality caused by the halibut
gillnet shing activity. In 2005, the
use of gillnets for halibut in Lpez
Mateos and other shing camps and
communities like Santo Domingo and
Cabo San Lzaro ended in mid-July.
Therefore, the lack of gillnet shery
activity does not correspond to the
number of beached turtles in August
that reached a historical maximum of
167 dead turtles.
During this same period, however,
a bottom-set longline shery was
detected by some shermen. This
activity originated from the Santa
Rosa shing camp. Personnel of
ProCaguama visited the camp and
sherman agreed to allow personnel
to accompany them on some sets.
From September 7 22, 2005, 12
longline sets were observed, and
25 loggerheads were captured,
15 of them dead. The shery was
characterized by 6 shing teams
shing with bottom-set longlines
targeting sharks (two longlines
per boat, deploying between 90-
100 hooks each). Personnel were
informed that this shery had just
recently begun last year (which may
explain the increased stranding
rates seen in October and November
2004). It was fortunate that dialogue
has been initiated and the project
is now working with the shermen
to identify alternatives to this high
impact gear. This interaction with
the shery veries the importance
of using caution when authorizing
the use of new shing gear (such as
bottom-set longlines).
RECOMMENDATIONS
In order to give continuity to the
ProCaguama project, we make the
following recommendations for the
2006 season:
Promote responsible shing, by
informing local shermen of Lpez
Mateos, communities and sh
camps of the area of the ndings
of the experiments carried out
to date, and the agreements
made in the workshops by the
shermen participants in the
project. Specically, highlight the
importance of respecting areas of
high concentration of sea turtles
(i.e., in depths beyond than 12
fathoms).
Promote the formulation of a
plan for the organization focused
on small scale sheries with the
involvement of local shermen of
the area, in order to promote and
reinforce, in the long term, the
responsible use of the resources,
self regulation and collaboration
of the community with the local
and federal authorities in the
administration and protection of
the marine resources.
Help and support the shermen
of Lpez Mateos in formulating
and developing an eco-tourism
program which bring about an
economic alternative for them, and
contribute to reduce the pressure
on marine resources of the area
and, in particular, on the sea turtle
populations.
Continue investigations of new
alternatives to high impact
shing gear, such as bottom-set
longlines, and provide shermen
with relevant information to make
informed choices about gear and
the preference for low versus high
impact techniques.
Reducing the Bycatch of Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta) in Baja California SUR:
Experimental Modication of Gillnets for Fishing Halibut
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 68
APPENDIX 1.
Participating Fishermen
and ProCaguama team
including Research Interns.
PARTICIPATING FISHERMEN (2004)
Jose Collins Parra
Carlos Sigalas
Tony Sigalas
Alfredo de la Toba
Arturo Contreras Camacho
Arturo de la Toba Domnguez
Cesareo Castro Gonzlez (observador)
Carlos Sigala Villavicencio
Giovanni Collins Gonzlez
Refugio Villa Aguilar
Alfonso Loera de la Toba
Antonio Sigala Villavicencio
Leonardo de la Toba Gonzlez
Arturo de la Toba Gonzlez
Jose Maria de la Toba Gonzlez
RESEARCH INTERNS (2004)
Bertha Montao Medrano
Ruth Ochoa Diaz
Vladimir de la Toba
Xochil Cortes Rodriguez
PARTICIPATING FISHERMEN (2005)
Nstor Ivn Camacho (Cochita)
Juan Carlos Contreras (Monochuki)
Modesto Contreras
Eliseo de la Toba Lucero (Prieto)
Ulises de la Toba Romero
Daro de la Toba Miranda
Alejandro Rodrguez
Adrin Geraldo Murillo
Juan de la Rosa Sandoval
Jos Pantalen de la Rosa Sandoval
(Panta)
Genaro de la Rosa Sandoval
Edgar Burgoin Snchez (Gero)
Miguel Rodrguez Cinco
Everardo lvarez Lpez
Javier Romero (Memn)
Marcelo Romero
Carlos Sigala
Antonio Sigala
Bernab de la Toba Romero (Boli)
Espriridin de la Toba Romero (Chacuiri)
Jos Domnguez
Oscar Domnguez
RESEARCH INTERNS &
VOLUNTEERS(2005)
Edgar Caballero.
Cesareo Castro.
Rodrigo Donadi.
Egl Flores.
Alexander Gaos.
Bertha Montao.
Ruth Ochoa.
David Ramrez.
Rodrigo Rangel.
Natalia Rossi.
David Soriano.
69
Environmental Education
on Pacic Loggerhead Turtles
for School Children in Mexico
and Japan
Kojiro Mizuno
Sea Turtle Association of Japan
Johath Laudino-Santilln
Grupo Tortuguero
Hoyt Peckham
ProCaguama
The loggerhead sea turtle is the
Pacic ambassador connecting
communities and cultures across the
north Pacic. A unique exchange
program has been implemented
through ProCaguama that has
proven effective for broadening
perspectives and increasing capacity
for conservation among communities
in Baja and Japan.
The unique characteristic that denes
this exchange program is due to one
individual, Kojiro Mizuno, who speaks
uent Japanese and Spanish. A native
of Japan, Mizunos father worked
as an entomologist in Peru where
Mizuno learned Spanish. The program
has thus been able to capitalize on
his talents to transcend the language
barrier to connect school children
from both sides of the Pacic for one
common cause: the conservation of
loggerheads.
Working together with Johath
Laudino, Grupo Tortuguero education
coordinator, Mizuno is able to bring
stories from school children in
Japan to children in Baja, and vice
versa. The most universal language,
however, is art. And through the
arts, children are able to share their
experiences, thoughts and stories
about sea turtles.
The project works with coastal
communities in Japan that have
nesting loggerhead sea turtles. In
Baja, the rich coastal waters harbor
important developmental and
foraging habitats for turtles. Thus,
by connecting the children and
students of Japan with Baja, tangible
knowledge is acquired about the
life cycle, migratory capabilities and
survival challenges for turtles. By
empowering children on both sides of
the Pacic to become involved in sea
turtle conservation, greater capacity
within communities is fostered to
support sustainable use practices to
reduce local harvest pressure.
In the future, the project will expand
to bring respected, yet skeptical
shers from core communities in
Baja to Japan to witness Mexican
turtles nesting in Japan. It is hoped
that this trans-Pacic experience
will broaden perspectives and make
a big difference in engaging these
shermen, their kids, their families,
in developing solutions for both
bycatch and poaching solutions.
Mr. Peckham: One comment
about Mizuno. Hes a big man in
Mexico. Hes large. But the effect
of Mizuno walking into one of these
small villages, with his size and
the fact that he speaks Spanish, is
extraordinary. We are very lucky
to have him to bring this message
from Japan to these small Mexican
communities, and vice versa.
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 70
71
Health Issues of Sea Turtles:
A Conservation Medicine
Approach
Dr. Alonso Aguirre D.V.M.
Wildlife Trust
INTRODUCTION TO
CONSERVATION MEDICINE
In recent years, the term
Conservation Medicine has been
used in several contexts within
different scientic communities,
national/international organizations
and research groups. The book
Conservation Medicine: Ecological
Health in Practice (Aguirre et al. 2002)
was published in an attempt to dene
a new discipline that links human and
animal health with ecosystem health
and global environmental change.
This novel approach in the protection
of biological diversity challenged
scientists and practitioners in the
health, natural and social sciences to
think about new, collaborative ways
to address ecological health concerns
in this deteriorating world.
Conservation Medicine is a
transdisciplinary scientic eld
devoted to understanding the
interactions among: (1) human-
induced and natural changes in
climate and habitat structure;
(2) emergence of pathogens,
parasites, and pollutants;
(3) biodiversity and health within
animal communities; and (4) health
of humans. Conservation medicine
has both scientic and applied
elements, and many endeavors
in this eld combine aspects of
both. Simply stated, Conservation
Medicine is the science and practice
of ecological health and is especially
relevant in todays human-modied
landscapes, where habitat
destruction and degradation and
episodes of emerging human and
wildlife diseases are increasing.
In this context, ecological health
is at the nexus of the elds of
human health, animal health and
ecosystem health. Conservation
Medicine embraces participation
by scientists and practitioners in
the elds of ecology; organismal,
cellular, molecular, and conservation
biology; toxicology; epidemiology;
veterinary and human medicine;
and public health. In addition,
perspectives from the social and
political sciences are fundamental
in understanding the underlying
causes of human-induced changes
in climate, habitat, and the use of
terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
Although Conservation Medicine is
a scientic discipline, it may provide
the basis for political positions on the
conservation and management of
species and ecosystems. The hope is
that once armed with the appropriate
knowledge, public policymakers and
scientists will proactively devise and
implement epidemiological strategies
to better ensure ecological health.
In comparison to human and
veterinary medicine, Conservation
Medicine addresses the examination
of ecological health concerns beyond
the species-specic approach.
Clearly, in some respects, human
health holds a greater priority
than the health of other species.
To date, human medicine has been
limited in looking at the health
connections between species and the
environment (i.e., ecosystem health).
Human health intervention has been
focused on the downstream effects of
environmental impacts (e.g., health
consequences of landscape changes
or pollution emissions) rather than
encompassing a preventive approach
in looking at upstream events, for
example, prevention of massive
ecological degradation or pollution
prevention (Aguirre et al. 2002; Tabor
et al. 2001).
There are no simple solutions to
address global environmental
problems. A multi-pronged strategy
is required. By bringing disciplines
together, Conservation Medicine can
contribute to solving environmental
problems by improving problem
denition requiring new tools
for assessing and monitoring
ecological health concerns.
Perhaps, incorporating aspects of
environmental indicator studies
with specic biomedical diagnostic
tools can develop integrated
ecological health assessment.
Tools include the development
of non-invasive physiological and
behavioral monitoring techniques;
the adaptation of modern molecular
biological and biomedical techniques;
the design of population level disease
monitoring strategies; the creation of
ecosystem-based health and sentinel
species surveillance approaches; and
the adaptation of health monitoring
systems for appropriate developing
country situations. Beyond
monitoring and assessment is action.
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 72
Improving medical and ecological
education and the need for public
policy development in promoting
ecological health are fundamental
goals of Conservation Medicine
(Aguirre et al. 2002).
CONSERVATION MEDICINE
AND SEA TURTLES

There are seven species of hard-
shelled sea turtles belonging to
the family Cheloniidae recognized
worldwide including green turtle
(Chelonia mydas), black turtle
(C. aggassizii), loggerhead turtle
(Caretta caretta), olive ridley turtle
(Lepidochelys olivacea), Kemps
ridley turtle (L. kempii), hawksbill
turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
and the atback turtle (Natator
depressus). The only member of
the Dermochelyidae family is the
leatherback turtle (Dermochelys
coriacea). All species have a biphasic
life cycle nesting and hatching on
the beach and then departing to the
ocean where they spend most of
their lives.
Several immature and nesting
migratory routes have been
described with the use of ipper
tags and more recently with GPS
and satellite tags. The feeding habits
depend on the species. For example,
loggerheads, ridleys and atbacks
feed on crustaceans and mollusks;
hawksbills feed on sponges;
leatherbacks and olive ridleys feed
on gelatinous zooplankton and
green turtles and black turtles
feed on algae and seagrasses. All
species are considered endangered
or threatened of extinction and are
listed in the IUCN Red Data List of
Endangered Species (IUCN 2003).
Natural mortality factors have been
described for sea turtles including
shark, raccoon, vulture, and crab
predation. However, the factors
leading to species decline are in most
cases induced by anthropogenic
change. These include incidental
mortality by sheries bycatch,
net entanglements, boat strikes,
overharvesting and nesting sites
development (Lutz and Musick 1997).
The need for an up-to-date guide to
the anatomy of sea turtles became
clear toward the end of the 1900s
(Rainey 1981). Increasing numbers of
individuals developed the interest,
talents, and techniques to study
the biology of sea turtles, contend
with their illnesses and injuries,
and address the nature of sea turtle
mortalities. A manual has been
recently published in response to
these needs providing a fundamental
background, reference photos of
normal anatomy, and diagrams
to guide novice or professional
biologists, stranding personnel, and
veterinarians. Species identication,
standard dissection techniques,
standard measurements, and basic
anatomy are covered (Wyneken 2001).
Also, eld necropsy techniques have
been described (Wolke and George
1981; Work 2000).
The diagnostic techniques employed
in sea turtles are similar to other
species, including blood collection
from the external jugular vein (dorsal
venous sinus), swabs taken from
oropharynx and cloaca, skin and
tumor biopsies using a human biopsy
system Dermapunch, and the use of
x-ray machine, ultrasound machine,
endoscopes and gas anesthesia
(Campbell 1996).
Marine turtle bropapillomatosis (FP)
is one of the most important diseases
among the health problems affecting
free-ranging sea turtles (George 1997).
Although reported since the late
1930s in Florida (Smith and Coates
1938) and since 1958 in the Hawaiian
Islands (Balazs and Pooley 1991), the
disease has recently reached epizootic
proportions. It has primarily affected
green turtles in many pantropical
regions of the world. Also, it has
been conrmed histopathologically
in other species including loggerhead
(Herbst 1994), olive ridley (Aguirre et
al. 1999), Kemps ridley (Harshbarger
1991), leatherback (Huerta et al.
2000), and more recently in captive-
raised hawksbill turtles (DAmato and
Moraes-Neto 2000). Flatback turtles
in Australia were also reported with
tumors by gross examination (Limpus
and Miller 1994).
The potential interactions and
epidemiological links regarding
the causal hypotheses of FP have
been the subject of discussion. PCR
techniques applied on a large number
of freshly isolated tumor samples
failed to detect papillomavirus. The
molecular identication of one or
more herpesviruses (Aguirre and
Spraker 1996; Herbst et al. 1995,
1999; Lackovich et al. 1999; Lu et
al. 2000b; Quackenbush et al. 1998,
2000), a papilloma-like virus (Lu et
al. 2000a), and a retrovirus (Casey
et al. 1996) in tumors from different
species collected around the world has
complicated the scenario to determine
the primary etiology of tumor
formation. Other co-factors may play
a role including immunosuppression,
genetic susceptibility, biotoxins,
chemical carcinogens, environmental
pollutants, ultraviolet light, spirorchid
trematodes and other potential
pathogens (Aguirre 1991; Aguirre and
Lutz 2004; Aguirre et al. 1998, 2002;
Dailey and Morrris 1995; Landsberg et
al. 1999).
These debilitating and disguring
tumors can measure from 1 mm up
to 40 cm in diameter and have been
reported in practically all keratinized
tissues including skin, plastron and
carapace. Tumors are more prominent
on the axillae, inguinal region, neck,
cloaca, tail, between scales and
scutes, eyes and conjunctiva. Ocular
bropapillomas have been described
in detail as locally invasive associated
73
with severe blindness, secondary
panophthalmitis, destruction of the
globe, and systemic debilitation
(Brooks et al. 1994). Tumors have
been reported in most internal
organs. Visceral bromas are known
to cause cardiac and respiratory
disease, hydronephrosis, and
gastrointestinal obstruction (Herbst
1994). Also, leiomyomas, bromas
and low-grade brosarcomas have
been described (Aguirre et al. 2000).
The histopathology of external
bropapillomas has been previously
described for green turtles in Florida
(Jacobson et al. 1989) and the
Hawaiian Islands (Aguirre et al. 1994).
The usual outcome of most affected
turtles in Hawaii is debilitation over a
protracted period, followed by death.
The disease is known to interfere
with the hydrodynamic and buoyancy
features of turtles affecting their
ability to swim. If the tumors are
located around the eyes and mouth,
turtles present reduced vision or
complete blindness, disorientation,
and physical obstruction of basic
functions such as feeding and
breathing. In addition, FP may
drastically reduce the capacity for
predator avoidance and increase the
susceptibility of affected individuals
to stranding, threatening their
survival (Balazs and Pooley 1991;
Morris and Balazs 1994).
Monitoring of tumors may be
used as another parameter when
evaluating the clinical condition
and state of the affected individuals
and their ability to survive in the
wild. This monitoring also has
implications during rehabilitation
efforts. Survivability rates of about
50% in turtles with FP have been
reported in a rehabilitation center in
Florida (Herbst 1994). Studies on the
progression of the disease are needed
to establish severity of FP and their
impact on sea turtle populations.
Other common health problems
reported in sea turtles in the
Hawaiian Islands include traumatic
injuries, entanglement in sh lines or
nets, gastrointestinal obstructions,
buoyancy problems, emaciation,
intoxication with petroleum
problems and hypothermia or
cold-stunning events. A loggerhead
lethargic syndrome in Florida has
also reported recently linked to
harmful algal blooms (brevetoxin)
and spirorchid trematodes. Over 154
species of spirorchid trematodes
have been described in sea turtles
worldwide. Three species have been
reported in Hawaii closely linked to
bropapillomatosis (Aguirre et al.
1998; Graczyk et al. 1995).
Several disease reports of sea turtles
are scattered in the literature
including Mycobacterium infection
in Hawaiian green turtles, grey
patch disease in captive green
turtle hatchlings linked to a
herpesvirus, Vibrio damsela infection
on a stranded leatherback turtle,
integumental ulcerative disease
in a loggerhead in the Bermuda
Aquarium, mycotic lung disease in
a stranded Kemps ridley turtle, a
Caryospora dieoff in captive 30-day
old green turtles, and Chlamydophila
mortality in the Cayman Turtle Farm
ve-year old turtles. A report of
Cryptosporidium in healthy Hawaiian
greens has also been documented
speculating on the potential public
health risks (Graczyk et al. 1997).
The potential for applying existing
diagnostic capacity to health
monitoring of sea turtles is
immeasurable. Particularly, the
limitation of nancial resources has
been a major barrier. Laboratory
support for performing diagnostic
testing is minimal, occurring in
limited laboratories with other
primary research activities in Hawaii,
Florida and New York, among others.
Cross-species diagnostic testing,
in which one laboratory can do
comparative assessment of disease
between populations and species,
is sorely lacking. Yet, diagnostic
laboratory testing plays an important
role in monitoring health and
diseases such as FP. The results of
diagnostic testing are most useful
when used to complement thorough
eld-based ecological research.
These will represent the next steps
to address ecosystem health in the
marine environment.
ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND
THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT
Methods to assess marine ecosystem
health are grossly lacking and a
system to monitor and gauge marine
health threats linked to conservation
and management policies is needed.
Emerging infectious diseases, mass
mortality events, harmful algal
blooms, and anomalous changes in
selected marine species abundance
and composition occurrences
which can be dened as major
marine ecological disturbances
may signal a decline in ecological
health. There is currently an effort
by many scientists to examine the
systemic health threats to marine
vertebrate species as they relate
to marine environmental health.
Unprecedented number of emerging
and re-emerging diseases have
occurred in recent times, such as
brucellosis in dolphins, aspergillosis
in coral reefs, and morbillivirus
infections linked to large-scale
marine mammal die-offs. Sea turtles
are facing a worldwide epidemic
of bropapillomatosis and domoic
acid poisoning killed thousands
of California sea lions and brown
pelicans in the Californias with
unknown long-term population
impacts. Threats to these charismatic
megavertebrates are linked to
human activities, including habitat
degradation, loss of biodiversity
and biomass, climate change,
Health Issues of Sea Turtles: A Conservation Medicine Approach
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 74
pollution, agricultural activities, and
commercial sheries. These impacts
can ripple throughout ecological
communities. The demise of one
species or the rise of one species at
the expense of another may establish
a trophic cascade of devastating
ecological responses.
One proactive method of trying
to get a handle on the large-scale
problem of disease emergence and
resurgence is by surveying sentinel
species (SS). Sentinel species serve
as indicators of their environment
and may reect the quality of
health in marine ecosystems.
The single species approach may
provide a series of snap shots of
environmental changes to determine
if animal, human or ecosystem health
may be affected. Marine vertebrates
are good integrators of changes
over space and time and represent
excellent sentinels of ecosystem
health. By moving in and out of
infected/polluted areas, they can
spread pathogens and contaminants
geographically as well as throughout
the food chain. The utility of the
SS selected should consider its value
and relevance to decision makers,
conservationists, local communities
and to society at large.
The SS concept is a proactive
approach in the development of
an Escalera Ecologica. We will
be able to measure the health
impacts in this fragile ecoregion
by providing an early warning
system for emerging diseases and
environmental contaminants and
proactively monitoring the course of
disease related activities requiring
prevention, remediation or control
as the Escalera Nautica develops
in Baja California, Mexico. It will
require a suite of sentinel species
(sea turtles, sea birds and marine
mammals) including different trophic
levels, ecological roles, taxa and
different spatial/temporal scales
and conservation medicine teams.
Sentinel species are the proverbial
canaries in the mineshaft, clearly
indicating the health and condition
of this threatened ecoregion. We
have identied a number of critical
research needs and opportunities
for transdisciplinary international
collaboration with a proactive vision
that could help advance the use of
marine vertebrates as SS to monitor
the health of the Baja California
ecoregion and in turn the Escalera
Ecologica.

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Herbst L. H., E. R. Jacobson, R.
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Association of herpesvirus with
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The occurrence of cutaneous
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77
New Caledonian Loggerhead
Turtle Population Assessment:
2005 Pilot Study
1
Dr. Colin J. Limpus,
Michelle Boyle, and
Tony Sunderland
Queensland Turtle Research
INTRODUCTION
Loggerhead turtle nesting in the
North Pacic Ocean is restricted
almost entirely to Japan where it
is under extensive research and
monitoring (Kamezaki et al. 2003).
In the south Pacic, loggerhead
turtle breeding is restricted almost
entirely to eastern Australia and New
Caledonia (Limpus and Limpus, 2003).
The eastern Australian population
has been extensively monitored
and researched, including long term
census trends, genetics analysis
and demographic studies since
1968 (Limpus, in press). The eastern
Australian stock could qualify under
IUCN Red-listing criteria as critically
endangered as a result of an 86%
decline in breeding females over the
past 25yr (less than 1 generation).
Extensive management actions have
been implemented in Australia to
conserve this species and to halt the
population decline, including (Limpus,
in press):
The vast majority of the loggerhead
turtle nesting of eastern Australia
in now protected with the National
Park estate of the Queensland
Parks and Wildlife Service.
A major portion of the foraging,
courtship and inter-nesting habitats
used by the species in eastern
Australia is managed within the
Great Barrier Reef Coastal Marine
Park and the adjacent Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park, and
the Woongarra Marine Park and
Moreton Bay Marine Park to the
south.
No harvest of the species by non-
indigenous persons in currently
permitted in Australia.
The use of Turtle Exclusion Devices
to reduce trawling induced turtle
mortality is now mandatory in
the trawl sheries of Eastern
Queensland, Torres Strait and
northern Australia.
Fox-baiting in the vicinity of the
important mainland nesting
beaches to minimize predation of
loggerhead turtle eggs has been
implemented since the late 1980s.
Doomed eggs likely to be killed
through ooding or erosion on the
mainland nesting beaches of the
Woongarra Coast are rescued and
moved to adjacent safe incubation
habitat.
The New Caledonian stock has not
been studied in any detail. It is not
known if it is a separate stock to the
Australian stock that breeds on the
opposite side of the Coral Sea. Given
that the two nesting aggregations are
separated by approximately 1,300km
of oceanic water, it is anticipated that
they could represent separate stocks.
The emerging anecdotal data indicates
that the New Caledonia population has
undergone a similar major population
decline to the Australian population
since about the 1970s.
Given the poor conservation status
of the other loggerhead turtle
populations of the Pacic Ocean
(Kamezaki et al. 2003; Limpus
and Limpus 2003), there is a high
probability that this remaining
unstudied Pacic loggerhead turtle
population is in urgent need of
assistance.
PROJECT AIM
To provide a bench-mark assessment of
a loggerhead turtle nesting population
at a New Caledonian index rookery.
PROJECT GOALS
The goal of this pilot study is:
To assess the genetic relationship
of the New Caledonian nesting
population to the Australian
population using mtDNA analysis
and microsatellites as required.
To conduct a two-week tagging
census to establish the size of the
current nesting population.
To map the spatial distribution of
nesting with respect to the available
habitat for the area.
To quantify some basic demographic
parameters for the population
including: nesting success, size
of adult females, clutch size, egg
measurements, nest measurements,
frequency of anthropogenic impacts
on the turtles (fractures, hooking
scars, GTFD tumors) and their nests
(dog predation, human interference).
To train local residents in appropriate
methods by which they can continue
the monitoring of the population
and contribute to its conservation.
1
Final report to the WPRFMC, Contract No. 04-WPC-03, NOAA award # NA04NMF4410164.
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 78
STUDY SITE
Four beaches were surveyed for turtle
nesting in the Bourail district which
lies approximately 160 km north of
Noumea on New Caledonias west
coast. These beaches are shoreward
of a wide natural break, Passe
Popine, in the barrier reef that lies
along the southwestern coast of New
Caledonia.
There is a marine protected area over
these coastal waters (Figure 1A).
However, judging by the behavior
of the general public, only minimal
heed is paid to the regulations.
However, some members of the
local community have a well
established concern for marine turtle
conservation as is evidenced by
the car-park sign advocating turtle
friendly behaviors on the beach
(Figure 1B).
FIGURE 2. La Plage de la Roche Perce
FIGURE 1. Existing conservation signage
in Roche Perce (A to B). 1A. Marine
Protected Area sign. 1B. Sign erected
by local community to enhance turtle
breeding on la Plage de la Roche Perce.
Col Limpus and Marile Marteaud,
February 2004.
FIGURE 3. Dune vegetation along la Plage de la Roche Perce (A to F). 3A. Partially
cleared dune vegetation at the northern end. 3B. Caretta caretta nesting at the margin
of the semi-natural forest along the middle section of the beach. 3C. Revegetation
of previously cleared dune in front of housing at the southern end. 3D. Extensively
modied dune vegetation at the southern end of the beach. 3E. Sparce vegetation
screening between the road and turtle nesting habitat of the frontal dune, northern
end of beach. 3F. Erosion of closed forest species in the central beach section.
A B
D C
F E
A
B
79
PLAGE DE LA ROCHE PERCE
La Plage de la Roche Perce is
the second largest of the Bourail
beaches and is approximately 3km
in length (2137.369S, 16527.751E
to 2136.855S, 16527.383E). It
extends northward from the mouth of
the Nera River (Figure 2). The beach
and the associated La Roche Perce
settlement and coastal road are
contained on the seaward side of a
meander of the river that loops close
to breaking through the dune system
on the northern end of the beach. The
Nera River contributes dark sediment
directly to La Plage de la Roche Perce
and, as a result, the sand of at la
Roche Perce is darker in color than
the sand on the beaches immediately
to the north and south. This dark sand
gets very hot during summer days and
surface temperatures can be too hot
for bare-foot walking.
A band of natural closed forest
extends 20-30m behind the central
section of the beach. The dunes
have been cleared and revegetated
with coconut palms and Casuarina
equisitifolia along parts of the
northern and southern ends. In
the cleared areas, the frontal dune
is vegetated with vines (Ipomoea
pescaprae) and grasses (Figure 3).
La Roche Perce was rst settled
by Europeans in 1984 and is now
occupied by approximately 30
residential sites. The beach is backed
by a bitumen road about 50-100m
inland of the low frontal dune (Figure
4a). There is no street lighting
associated with this road. A small
settlement of western style homes
has been built mostly on the inland
side of this road. A rock wall has been
built of offer protection from dune
erosion for the road and some of the
real estate on the seaward side of
the road. This rock wall extends for
several hundred metres and spans
from below the high tide mark back
to the forest margin (Figure 4b) and
is located approximately mid-way
along the beach, extending for several
hundred meters (> 7% of beach)
from 2137.989S, 16527.807E to
2136.822S, 16527.726E.
A number of the dwellings along the
road have signicant exterior lighting.
Due to the vegetation being absent,
scarce or low along the northern end,
this lighting causes the beach to be
lit up throughout the night. The close
proximity of the road and the reduced
vegetation also results in vehicle
headlights intermittently shining
brightly across the beach.
There is considerable evidence
indicating that nest erosion is
occurring at la Plage de la Roche
Perce. Along sections of the southern
beach, a 0.5m high erosion bank has
developed and remained for at least
the last two summers. This erosion
bank is cutting further back into the
forest with each storm season, causing
the undermining of trees that now lie
scattered on the beach (Figure 4c).
Dune erosion is enhanced by easy
vehicle access to the frontal dune
at the southern end of the beach.
This trafc damages the vegetation
that helps stabilize the dunes. It also
damages turtle nests (Figure 4d).
PLAGE DE LA BAIE DES TORTUES
Plage de la Baie des Tortues is
approximately 0.3km long and lies
between two rocky headlands (Figure
5). The dune vegetation has been
modied within the remnant Araucaria
forest. It is not as subject to erosion as
la Plage de la Roche Perce.
A tunnel provides pedestrian access
from la Roche Perce to Plage de la
Baie des Tortues. However, this access
is limited to very low tides.
ILE VERTE
Ile verte lies several kilometers off the
coast from la Plage de la Roche Perce
in Passe Popine. The small island has
FIGURE 4. Impacts on the nesting habitat
at La Plage de la Roche Perce. 4A. Road
immediately behind the nesting habitat
at the northern end of the beach. Two
sets of turtle nesting tracks are visible.
4B. Rock wall constructed to protect
real estate from erosion. 4C. Fallen trees
and exposed roots prevent turtles from
accessing nesting habitat along the
eroded dune at the southern end of the
beach. 4D. Vehicle tracks across turtle
body pits and dune vegetation.
New Caledonian Loggerhead Turtle Population Assessment: 2005 Pilot Study
A
B
C
D
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 80
a white coral sand beach (Figure 6)
for approximately one quarter of the
islands ~200 m circumference, whilst
the remainder of the shore consists
of exposed beach rock and boulders.
The beach is backed by a 0.5 m
erosion bank within several meters of
the tree line. Fallen trees along the
beach indicate that this beach has
been subject to nest erosion in recent
years.
LA PLAGE DE LA POE
La Plage de la Poe lies to the north
of la Baie des Tortues. It is a long
crescent-shaped beach with light
colored sand that extends for tens
of kilometers. Only the southern end
of the beach is accessible by road
where some vegetation has been
cleared to allow for camping and
the construction of a few residential
dwellings.
The coast to the south of Nera River
consists of rocky shore for a number
of kilometres with no ready vehicle
access.
METHODS
A survey of marine turtle nesting
adjacent to the village of Roche
Perce was conducted during 6th
- 20th January 2005. A general survey
was made by foot during daylight of
all accessible beaches in the area.
La Plage de la Roche Perce was
surveyed each night for a period of
6-8 hours around the high tide and
the beach was walked daily during
daylight hours. La Plage de la Baie
des Tortues was visited regularly
during daylight hours as weather
permitted, to record nesting activity.
Weather conditions during the time
of the survey washed away parts
of the access road rendering night
surveys unsafe. Each nesting crawl was
recorded irrespective of whether or not
the turtle was sighted and scored for
whether or not the turtle had laid.
When nesting turtle turtles were
encountered, they were tagged and
measured using standard methodology
for the Queensland Turtle Research
Project (Limpus et al. 1983). Each
adult turtles was double tagged with
titanium turtle tags (Stockbrands,
standard size) in the axillary tagging
position on each front ipper (Limpus,
1992). Curved carapace length was
measured ( 0.1 cm) with a exible
tape measure from the anterior
skin-carapace junction to the posterior
edge of the midline junction of the
two supra-pygal scutes. Each female
was assessed for external damage and
injuries.
A sample of clutches were counted
within one hour of the turtle
completing her nesting, Ten eggs
per clutch were selected from top to
bottom of the nest for most counted
clutches. These eggs were cleaned
of sand with a soft bristle brush and
with the minimum of rotation before
being and measured for diameter with
FIGURE 7. Michelle Boyle weighing and
measuring Caretta caretta eggs on the
beach as they are collected from the nest
by Tony Sunderland. Isobell Roy, at right,
was a local resident assisting with the
monitoring study.
FIGURE 5. Plage de la Baie des Tortue
FIGURE 6. View of eroded white sand beach and vegetated strand on Ile Verte.
81
vernier callipers and weighed on a
digital balance ( 0.1 g) (Figure 7).
Local residents were interviewed to
provide additional insights into past
knowledge and issues related to turtle
populations in the Bourail region.
Sand temperatures were measured at
50 cm below the beach surface using
a digital thermometer ( 0.2C).
Estimation of the size of the total
seasonal nesting population based
on mid-season nesting density made
use of unpublished data from the
Queensland Turtle Research Project:
Figure 8 summarizes the relationship
between the average number of
nesting crawls per night during two
weeks at the peak of the nesting
season and the size of the total
annual nesting population measured
by total tagging census during
months of nightly monitoring at the
same rookery. This gure pools annual
census data from Mon Repos, Heron
Island and Fraser Island.

Genetic samples were taken from
nesting female turtles during nesting
observations at la Roche Perce
rookery, by means of a small skin
biopsy that was removed with a sterile
razor blade from the upper shoulder
region. Tissue samples were stored
in dimethyl sulfoxide 20% (DMSO)
saturated with 5M NaCL (without
EDTA), routinely used to preserve
Chelonid tissue (Dutton, 1996). In the
laboratory the tissue samples were
removed from the DMSO, rinsed in
distilled water, and minced up with a
sterile scalpel blade to optimise DNA
extraction. Genomic DNA was isolated
from the tissue using the ammonium
acetate method described by Nicholls
et al. (2000).
An 1100 base pair (bp) fragment
located in the control region of the
mitochondrial genome was amplied
with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
methodology, using the primers TCR-6
(5-GTA CGT ACA AGT AAA ACT ACC GTA
TGC C-3) and TCR-1 (5- GGA TCA AAC
AAC CCA ACA GG -3) (Norman et. al
1994).
PCR conditions were optimized
using methods described by Cobb &
Clarkson (1994). PCR amplications
were performed in a 25 l reaction
volume containing, 3ng DNA template,
1x QIAGEN PCR Buffer (containing
Tris-Hcl and KCl), 0.32 mM of dNTP,
4mM MgCl2, 0.20 mM of each primer
(TCR1 + TCR6), and 0.5 units of Taq
DNA polymerase (QIAGEN). The PCR
amplication conditions were as
follows: 95C for 2 mins followed by 34
cycles at 94C for 25 sec, 48C for 15 sec,
72C for 45 sec with a nal extension
at 72C for 5 sec. PCR amplications
included a negative (DNA free) control
reaction to test for contamination.
The amplied products were
electrophoresed in low-melt agarose
gels and exised from 1.5% agrose gels
and puried using a gel extraction
kit (QIAGEN). Quantication of DNA
concentrations were performed with
ImageJ software (http://rsb.info.
ih.gov.ij). Cycle sequencing reactions
were conducted with the primers
TCR1 and TCR6 in ET terminator half
reactions according to manufacturers
instructions and analysed in the
Genetic Analysis Facility in James
Cook Universitys Advanced
Analytical Centre, on a MegaBase
1000 (Amersham BioSciences).
Resulting sequences were edited with
Sequencher 4.2.2 (Gene Codes Inc),
and manually aligned using Se-AL v
2.0a11. Variability at sites was veried
with associated chromatograms.
RESULTS
ORAL HISTORY
Numerous locals were spoken
to regarding the history of la
Roche Perce and the local turtle
populations. Comments from four
groups have been included below.
Laurence Langlois (January 2005): a
local Kanak resident whose father was
a sherman.
According to Mr Langlois, dugong
(Dugong dugon) and turtles
(Chelonia mydas and Caretta
caretta) were once numerous in the
area of la Roche Perce. However,
their numbers have been greatly
reduced. While all species were
hunted by local people, dugong
and C. mydas were the preferred
species. Grosse Tte (local name for
C. caretta) egg consumption and
the harvest of females when they
were ashore was common by locals.
20-30 years ago an average of 6
Grosse Tte nested per night at la
Roche Perce, with a maximum of
20-35 on some nights.
Prior to extensive tree-felling of the
surrounding mountains in 1988,
the beaches were whiter in color
... the water was much clearer and
turtles could be seen in the water
from 100m away this is no longer
the case.
FIGURE 8. Trend line showing the
correlation between the average number
of nesting crawls (tracks) per night during
two weeks at mid nesting season and
the size of the total nesting populations
at the same rookery in the same year
for eastern Australian Caretta caretta
nesting beaches. Arrow denotes the size
of the Roche Perce nesting population in
2004-2005. See Text for additional detail.
New Caledonian Loggerhead Turtle Population Assessment: 2005 Pilot Study
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 82
Jean-Pierre Reverc (J-PR ) (January
2005): a local New Caledonian
resident who grew up in the region
and who has previously been
employed as the deputy-major for the
Bourail Council and as a land surveyor
at the Universit de la Nouvelle-
Caledonie (UNC).
30 years ago during the peak of
the nesting season 5-6 loggerheads
laid clutches at la Roche Perce per
night, with a maximum of 10 per
night.
J-PR was commissioned through
UNC during 1994-96 to conduct
surveys in response to an
application for sand mining of
this beach. The results of this
research document the erosion
that has occurred at la Plage de la
Roche Perce during this time. J-PR
commented that his work showed
that the northern end of la Plage
de la Roche Perce has receded
80m and the southern end has
receded 30 m in the previous couple
of decades. However, it should be
noted that this erosion survey was
conducted over the period of time
that was effected by Cyclone Betty
(26-37 March 1996).
Marile and Daniel Marteaud
(February 2005): Local residents
Marile and Daniel believe from
discussions that they have held
with local people, that up to 300
turtle clutches were laid per day
about 30 years ago. However, these
reports are from indirect sources
and the time frame is uncertain. At
that time, the beach at la Plage de
la Roche Perce was considerably
wider and the forest extended some
hundred of metres seaward of the
current high tide mark. The coast
line has been subject to long term
erosion over the decades. These
comments were also supported
during discussions with other local
peoples, including Rick Annex.
During the 2002/2003 nesting season
Association pour la Sauvegarde de la
Nature Neo-Caledonienne (ASNNC)
conducted a turtle nesting survey
at la Plage de la Roche Perce and
estimated that a total of 215 clutches
were laid during that season.
The general conclusions that can
be drawn from all discussions that
were held with local residents is that
since settlement 20 years ago, the
area of la Roche Perce has changed
considerably. One signicant change
has been to the vegetation. Anecdotal
reports suggest that the vegetation
once extended many tens of meters
behind the dunes. However, the
development of western style homes
and access roads, including the
establishment of a road behind the
frontal dunes of la plage de la Roche
Perce has markedly reduced the
natural vegetation. The catchment
area of the Nera River surrounding
la Roche Perce has also been
extensively cleared for cattle grazing.
In addition, there are unsubstantiated
reports of sand removal from the
beach (J-PR). These factors would
have undoubtedly contributed to the
high rate of erosion that has been
witnessed over the last couple of
decades and that is of considerable
concern to the local residents.
There was variation among old verbal
reports for estimated numbers in
past C. caretta nesting populations at
la Roche Perce. However, in general
the consensus was that the C. caretta
nesting population at la Roche Perce
has declined over recent decades.
WEATHER
On January 7, 2005, Cyclone Kerry
approached New Caledonia and
brought substantial rain during
January 7 to 16 (Figure 9). This rain
caused the Nera River to ood and,
on the 7th, to break across the road
that connects la Roche Percee to
the mainland. The water in the bay
contained a high sediment load
with close to zero visibility for the
remainder of the survey period.
FIGURE 9. Track of Cyclone Kerry during early January 2005 (Australian Bureau of
Meteorology).
83
Cyclonic winds generated heavy surf
on the beach at la Roche Perce.
The wet conditions that occurred
throughout the study period caused
considerable damage to the road
to Baie de Tortues. This prevented
nightly observations of that beach
as had been originally intented. High
water levels prevented access to the
Baie de Tortues via the pedestrian
tunnel route.
Cyclone Kerry brought high rainfall
that caused ooding of the Nera
River. The river overowed its backs
to cut across the access road to
Roche Perce at the northern end of
the beach (Figure 10A), effectively
leaving the village as a small island.
This north river outow eroded large
volumes of sand from the northern
end of the beach (Figure 10B).
Large amounts debris was washed
to sea from both river mouths and
substantial amounts of this debris
washed onto nearby beaches (Figure
10C). In some localized areas, the
debris was thick enough to impede
turtle access to nesting habitat.
Because the cyclone center lay to
the west of the main island of New
Caledonia, the winds along this
west coast area were not onshore.
Therefore, this cyclone had minimal
storm-surge impact on the beaches.
There was, however, some fresh
erosion of the dunes at this time
(Figure 10D).
Because of the heavy rain during
the cyclone, local residents did not
participate in the night-time training
and monitoring until after the rain
had abated. Thus, we only had
three nights of effective community
participation in the project. Similarly,
participation by members of ASNNC
who had to drive up from Noumea
and visits by the local media were
limited to the last few days of the
survey.
SAND TEMPERATURES
Sand temperatures at nest depth (50
cm) were recorded within the open
sand of the dune nesting habitat of
la Plage de la Roche Perce after
the heavy from Cyclone Kerry had
ceased (Table 1). Unfortunately,
these data do not provide a measure
of the normal sand temperatures
at nest depth for this beach. Sand
temperatures will have been
lowered below normal by the heavy
cyclonic rain. These temperatures
do, however, demonstrate the rapid
rise in temperature that occurs at
nest depth, following the cessation
of heavy rain during the summer
months. The rising temperature as
the survey nished indicated that
this should be a warm beach, well
above the pivotal temperature
(28.7C. Limpus et al. 1985) for
eastern Australian population. It
is presumed that this would be a
female-producing beach for C. caretta
in New Caledonia.
GENETICS
Thirty nesting female C. caretta were
sampled for the genetics study. Of
the 30 samples, 28 (93%) were found
to be haplotype CC-P1, and 2 (7%)
were found to be haplotype CC-P5
(Figure 11). No new haplotypes were
discovered.
The identied haplotypes (CC-P1
& CC-P5), and the frequencies at
which they occur, parallel those
found throughout the east Australian
rookeries. Therefore, based on the
current understanding of stock
structure, the New Caledonian
FIGURE 10. Illustrations of the impact
of Cyclone Kerry on the beaches in the
Bourail district. 10A. The Nera River
cut through the road at the northern
access to Roche Perce. 10B. 2 m erosion
bank at the northern end of la Plage
de la Roche Perce. 10C. Flood debris
accumulated on la Plage de la Baie
des Tortues. 10D. Erosion of vegetation
on the southern end of la Plage de la
Roche Perce.
New Caledonian Loggerhead Turtle Population Assessment: 2005 Pilot Study
A
B
C
D
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 84
and Eastern Australian nesting
populations cannot be dened as
separate genetic stocks. These data
are being included in Michelle Boyles
PhD thesis (James Cook University)
and are being prepared for peer-
reviewed scientic publication.
This is an unexpected result given the
approximately 1,300 km separation
of the New Caledonian and eastern
Australian breeding sites. The
samples have been banked with other
genetic samples from the Queensland
Turtle Research Project and they will
be made available for future analysis
as new genetic analytical tools are
developed.
TURTLE BIOLOGY
Only C. caretta was recorded nesting
on any of the beaches surveyed.
NESTING CENSUS
La Plage de la Roche Perce
During the survey period, 6-19
January, a total of 76 crawls by
nesting turtles were recorded on la
Plage de la Roche Perce. See Table
2 for a summary of nightly beach
census scores. The mean number of
C. caretta nesting crawls during the
census period was 5.4 per night (SD
= 3.4; range=1 - 13; n = 14 nights).
During the same period, the mean
number of clutches laid was 3.0 per
night (SD = 2.1, range = 1 9, n = 14
nights)
Of the 76 beachings, 43 resulted in
successful laying of clutches, whilst
the remaining 33 were unsuccessful
nesting crawls (i.e. clutches were
not laid) (Table 3). This equates
to a nesting success of 57%. The
majority of tracks and nests were
at the northern end of the beach.
Throughout the survey 40 beaching
by turtles were not observed, but
were subsequently recorded from the
tracks. These included 15 clutches laid
and 25 unsuccessful nesting crawls.
La Plage de la Baie des Tortues
During the survey period, January
6-19, 2005, a total of 2 crawls by
nesting turtles were recorded on la
Plage de la Baie des Tortues. See Table
2 for a summary of nightly beach
census scores. The mean number of
C. caretta nesting crawls during the
census period was 0.14 per night (SD
= 0.36; range=0 - 1; n = 14 nights).
During the same period, the mean
number of clutches laid was 0.14 per
night (SD = 0.36; range=0 - 1; n = 14
nights).
Both these nesting crawls resulted in
successful nesting, although neither
turtle was observed for its nesting
(Table 3).
Ile verte
Ile verte was visited for one hour
on January 19, 2005 during daylight
hours. The entire beach was surveyed
on foot and no evidence of turtle
nesting crawls or body pits or
hatchling tracks were identied. This
was consistent with the oral reports
given by J-P. Reverc.
While no turtle nesting was
identied, the island was terrestrial
habitat for sea kraits, Laticauda sp.
(sea snakes).
La Plage de la Poe
Only approximately the southern
most kilometer of potential nesting
habitat along la Plage de la Poe was
surveyed on foot on January 6, 2005.
No evidence of turtle nesting crawls
or body pits or hatchling tracks
were observed. This was consistent
with the oral reports given by local
residents (J-P. Reverc: no observed
nesting. D. Marteaud: only 1 nesting
turtle observed) that turtle nesting
is rarely observed on this beach. In
the absence of access to a suitable
vehicle for driving the beach, this
beach was not surveyed further.
Combining the data for all beaches,
a total of 45 C. caretta clutches were
laid in the two week period January 6-
19, 2005. This is a minimum estimate
of the number of female C. caretta
nesting during one renesting interval
at approximately mid-breeding
season. Thirty-one of these females
were tagged. The combined beaches
nightly nesting attempts were 5.5
beachings per night at La Roche
Perce for the same period. This
period overlapped the late December
early January peak density of
the C. caretta nesting season in
Queensland (Limpus, 1985). Applying
the relationship between the mean
number of beachings per night at the
peak of the Queensland C. caretta
nesting season and the total nesting
FIGURE 11. Examples of genotypesA region of the aligned mtDNA sequences of Caretta
caretta from La Roche Percee. Illustrated is the base
85
this damage. When she returned on
the 3rd consecutive night and was
again observed to be unsuccessful in
digging an egg chamber, an articial
egg-chamber was dug under her while
she was digging. She accepted this
hole as a nest and laid 137 eggs. The
remaining four females that were
recorded on their return, following an
unsuccessful nesting attempt, each
successfully laid on their next return.
Given the incomplete interception
of the nesting turtles, these data
are consistent with the concept
that females that return to the
sea following unsuccessful nesting
attempts do not drop their eggs at
sea, but return on subsequent nights
for further nesting attempts.
The majority of the turtles (89%) laid
their eggs in bare sand habitat, rather
than within vegetated areas (Table 4).
4% of clutches were laid below the
high tide level and should not have
incubated due to ooding. Although
not quantied, the signicant erosion
at both extremities of the beach
occurred on the low density nesting
areas of the beach and had minimal
impact on the incubation of the
clutches.

The majority of the nesting occurred
on the northern side of the rock wall
and in front of the area with houses.
Numerous turtles came ashore in
front of the rock wall and, with no
beach above high tide in front of
the wall, they turned back with out
laying. No turtles crossed the rock
wall to nest. Fewer turtles attempted
to nest south of the rock wall. In this
section, where turtles came ashore in
front of fallen trees, they usually were
unsuccessful in nesting.
SIZE OF NESTING FEMALES
The size of nesting female C. caretta
at la Roche Perce is summarised in
Table 5 and Figure 12. The mean size
of nesting females was 95.1cm CCL.
population for the entire season
(Figure 7), the 5.5 beachings per
night in the present study translates
to approximately 60-70 C. caretta
nesting on this coast for the entire
2004 2005 breeding season.
NESTING BEHAVIOUR
Of the 76 recorded nesting attempts,
only two occurred during daylight (3%
daylight nesting attempts) and both
resulted in successful laying.
Five females that were unsuccessful
in a recorded nesting attempt were
recorded returning for a subsequent
attempt. On average, a turtle that
failed to nest was most likely to
return on the following night (SD
= 0.71, range = 0 2 d, n = 5). One
of these females was missing the
entire right hind ipper and failed to
successfully dig an egg chamber on
two consecutive nights because of
New Caledonian Loggerhead Turtle Population Assessment: 2005 Pilot Study
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 86
These nesting C. caretta were
recorded laying on average 113.6
eggs per clutch that were 4.16 cm in
diameter and weighed 39.5 g (Table
5). No yolkless eggs were recorded in
this sample of 13 clutches and only 1
multi-yolked egg (double yolked egg,
diameter = 4.82 x 5.14 cm, weight =
68.9 g) was recorded.
The rst hatchling emergence from
nests was recorded on 18 January
2005. However, given the storm
conditions of the preceding week and
extensive erosion of the fore dune,
there is the possibility that some
clutches may have emerged on an
earlier date and escaped detection.
The incubation success recorded
from these two clutches was: hatch
success = 86.9% of eggs laid and
81.5% of eggs produced hatchlings to
the beach surface (Table 5).
HATCHLINGS
Hatchlings from the two emerged
clutches measured 4.40 cm SCL and
weighed 21.1 g (Table 3). These
hatchlings were the typical dark
brown color for the species (Figure
14a). They crawled with the typical
alternating gait for hatchlings for this
species (Figure 14b). All 10 hatchlings
examined had the standard scale
count for the species of: 1 nuchal,
5 vertebrals, 2 supra-pygals, 5/5
costals, 12/12 marginals, 3/3
post-occulars, no pre-occulars, 3/3
infra-marginals and 0 intergulars.
FIGURE 12. Frequency distribution for size of nesting female Caretta caretta at la Roche
Perce.
FIGURE 13. Michelle Boyle excavating
a nest to assess incubation success.
Hatchlings had run from this nest during
the previous night.
FIGURE 14.A. Caretta caretta hatchling
FIGURE 14.B. Caretta caretta hatchling
and track.
87
The post parietal scutes were variable
with frequencies of: 1 with 2 scutes,
1 with 3 scutes, and 8 with 4 scales.
INJURIES AND DISEASE
Signicant injuries from both natural
and anthropogenic sources were
recorded for ve of the nesting
females:
R24764: large healing fracture
to the right side of the carapace
(Figure 15a) possibly resulting from
a boat-strike.
R24771: healing shark bite to the
right shoulder (Figure 15b). This
bite probably occurred during
courtship.
Two females were each missing
almost 100% of the right hind
ipper: R24359, R24369. These
turtles had difculty in preparing
their egg chambers.
R24361: missing the left marginal
rim of the carapace equivalent to
the area of the posterior four left
marginal scutes; completely healed.
None of the 30 nesting females had
external bropapilloma tumours.
HARVEST AND PREDATION
People removed at least one nesting
female, R24771, from the beach after
she had laid her clutch and before
she had returned to the sea on 16
January. She was presumably killed.
Multiple local folks reported that at
least two other nesting females had
been similarly taken from the beach
earlier during the nesting season,
including one at Christmas. This
represents a harvest of at least 5% of
the seasons total nesting population.
Free-ranging dogs were plentiful on
the beach throughout the day and
night during the survey period (Figure
16). While they were not recorded to
harass the nesting turtles, at least
one clutch of eggs was observed
destroyed by dogs. Local residents
reported that numerous clutches of
eggs have been destroyed by dogs at
la Roche Perce each summer.
Based on reports from local
residents, a small number of eggs
appear to be eaten by people from
the district. No human removal of
eggs was observed during the survey
period.
Ghost crabs, Ocypode cordimana,
were abundant along the beach.
These crabs were large enough to
prey on turtle hatchlings. While
hatchling predation was not
observed, these crabs were seen
preying on frogs and bivalves along
the beach.
TRAINING AND EDUCATION
This project could not have succeeded
without the assistance and support
of J-Louis dAuzon, President of
Association pour la Sauvegarde de
la Nature Neo-Caledonienne and
other members of the Association.
Before the team traveled to Bourail,
J-Louis organized for the team to
spend half a day at the Noumea
Aquarium assisting the staff with
tagging of their turtles in preparation
for their release. A discussion session
explaining the function of the
present study occurred at that time.
As was expected following the
preliminary February 2004 visit to
the site, the local residents were
enthusiastic towards participation
in the project and being trained in
turtle monitoring methods. However,
Cyclone Kerry dampened their
enthusiasm. As a result, local folks
only participated in the eld work
during the last few nights. Through
out the study, locals participated on
ve nights with 1 15 persons per
night.
A public education night was held in
the outdoor dining area of the village
hotel on January 18, 2005 (Figure 17).
Two local folks, Isabell Roy and Ingrid
Vallejo-Torres, assisted Michelle in
preparation of the slide presentation
FIGURE 15. Recent injuries to nesting
female Caretta caretta. 15A. Healing
fracture in carapace of R24764.
15B. Healing recent shark bite to the
shoulder of R24771.
FIGURE 16A. Dog-predated Caretta caretta
clutch. Tony Sunderland discussing dog
predation issues with local residents,
Claudia and Eric.
FIGURE 16B. Two of the regularly observed
dogs that were free-ranging on la Plage
de la Roche Perce.
New Caledonian Loggerhead Turtle Population Assessment: 2005 Pilot Study
A
B
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 88
so that it was presented in French
and also facilitated the answering of
questions following the presentation.
Approximately 50 persons attended
this slide presentation on sea turtle
biology and conservation. The talk
also served to acquaint the broader
local community with the purpose of
the study.
A full kit, including datasheets, tag
applicators, tags, measuring tapes,
helmet and head spot, was left
with J-Louis to facilitate continued
monitoring of the area. In addition,
electronic copies were also left
with these folks of: 1) powerpoint
presentation prepared for the Public
education night, and 2) copies of our
data sheets.
Turtle tags used for this study were
chosen to be integrated with the
existing ASNNC turtle tagging project
in New Caledonia, rather than
introduce tags with an Australian
address for this short term study. This
was facilitated by J-Louis. A full copy
of all data from this project will be
lodged with ASNNC.
The team has maintained an ongoing
communication with the local folks.
This has lead to at least one new
reporting of a tagged turtle captured
by a sherman. It was an Australian
tagged green turtle that was
captured and eaten in northern New
Caledonia (Table 6).
Loggerheads (C. caretta) in the size
range of about 70 to 85 centimeters
long are regularly encountered
foraging in the reefs, channels and
sea grass areas to the north of
Bourail. They occur there all year
round. Up until May 2005, no tagged
C. caretta had been seen.
Following the visit to the Aquarium
and the education night, the
project was aired on local TV news
broadcasts. The project was also
reported in the local news paper.
MANAGEMENT ISSUES
A range of human activities was
negatively impacting both the
nesting habitat and the nesting
turtles, their eggs and hatchlings.
Erosion
The erosion of the beach in recent
years has threatened housing and the
adjacent road. This is a continuing
problem. The local government has
responded by depositing rocks along
approximately 7% of the beach.
The rocks extend to below the high
tide mark and prevent turtles from
accessing the nesting habitat along
this portion of the beach. While this
rock wall appears to have placed
within the most preferred nesting
habitat for La Roche Perce, no
turtles successfully laid along the
section of the beach with the rock
wall during the time of the survey.
The continuing erosion of the beach
is causing concern among local
residents and local government.
Some residents are advocating for
this rock wall to be signicantly
extended. If this occurs it will further
decrease the amount of suitable
nesting habitat for the turtles.
The least stable areas occur at
both ends of the beach. This was
particularly evident on the southern
end of the beach during Cyclone
Kerry. During the time of the
survey a sand cliff formed that was
unsurmountable by nesting turtles.
As a result turtles were returning
to the water, without successfully
laying in this section of the beach.
We consider that beach erosion
and the proposed extension of the
rock wall pose a signicant threat
to the viability of this turtle nesting
population.
FIGURE 17. Public education: An
illustrated talk on turtle biology and the
current research project was given to
local residents and media in the lounge
of LHotel de la Roche Perce.
89
Housing and trafc lighting
There was intense lighting of the
beach area from housing and from
trafc headlights on the northern
end. The house lighting that was of
concern was primarily the external
lights. There were strong outside
security lights that remained on
throughout the night with at least
two houses near the northern end
of the beach. This lighting caused
the beach to be brightly illuminated
and was strong enough to impair the
night vision of the research team.
While there was little evidence of
turtles returning without laying
because of this lights, there remains
the concern that new females
recruiting to the nesting population
will avoid using brightly illuminated
beaches. The long-term decline in
nesting turtle numbers in response to
increased illumination of beaches has
been observed at others rookeries
and is a distinct possibility here at
Bourail.
Because the survey did not occur
during the primary hatchling
emergence period, the effect that
this lighting would have on hatchling
orientation was not documented.
Changes to the light horizons that
occur with passing trafc were
relatively intermittent and should
not signicantly impair hatchling
orientation under current trafc
densities. This can be expected to
change with increased development
and tourist visitation to the district.
Vehicles on dunes
Vehicles have access to the nesting
habitat at the southern end of the
beach. Vehicle trafc on the beach
is damaging nests where vehicle
tracks occur over nesting sites and is
retarding vegetation growth. Where
vehicle damage to dune vegetation is
excessive, there is the increased risk
of beach erosion.
Dogs
There is a large dog population
within the La Roche Perce
community. Many of these dogs
are free to roam the nesting beach.
Residents reported that dogs often
dug into nests and destroyed
developed eggs on a regular basis.
Boating
There were no reports of turtle
strandings that could be attributed to
boat strike. The quiet waters of the
Bay offshore from the nesting beach
will be the inter-nesting habitat
used during the summer months
by the females, while they are
preparing their successive clutches
for laying. During the survey most
boats departed the boat ramp (at
the entrance of the river mouth)
and headed directly out to the reef.
While very little motorboat activity
was observed in the Bay, jet skis were
observed travelling back and forth
and at speed in the bay during the
survey period. This activity would be
disturbing to any turtles using these
shallow waters.
Poaching
During the survey, one nesting
female was removed from the
beach by humans. Local informants
reported nesting turtles being
removed from the beach at a rate of
approximately 2-3 per year. This has
not been validated. There was one
report of eggs being removed from
a nest. The traditional inhabitants
of the area, Kanak people, appear to
have a greater desire to utilize the
turtles and eggs as food than the
folks of European origin.
DISCUSSION
Within the Pacic Ocean region, C.
caretta breeding is restricted to the
western margin (Figure 18). In the
North Pacic, nesting only occurs
within Japan (Kamezaki et al. 2003).
In the South Pacic, nesting is rarely
encountered outside of eastern
Australia (south Queensland and
northern New South Wales), New
Caledonia and Vanuatu (Limpus
and Limpus, 2003). In contrast with
the well known eastern Australian
nesting population (Limpus, 1985),
the nesting distribution in New
Caledonia and Vanuatu remains
incompletely described. With about
60-70 nesting females annually, the
Bourail District C. caretta nesting
population is the largest currently
known within New Caledonia. In
the absence of more comprehensive
surveys, Roche Perce is identied
as a suitable index beach for on
going monitoring the population
status of C. caretta within New
Caledonia. This assessment is based
on the combination of the size of the
annual nesting population and the
accessibility of this mainland nesting
beach for ongoing monitoring, even
under adverse weather conditions.
Based on the results of the present
study, the C. caretta nesting
populations of New Caledonia and
eastern Australia should be regarded
as forming a single management
unit. Allowing for the small sample
size of the population at Roche
Perce, the size of nesting females,
the number of eggs per clutch, the
size and weight of the eggs and
the size and weight of hatchlings
(Table 5), this representative New
Caledonian nesting population is very
similar to the respective parameters
measured at eastern Australian
rookeries (Limpus, 1985). This
similarity in reproductive parameters
is what would be expected from
rookeries within a single genetic
stock. Until more comprehensive
data area available from the
New Caledonian rookeries, it is
recommended that values derived
at the Australian C. caretta rookeries
be used to describe the relevant
reproductive biology at the New
Caledonian rookeries.
New Caledonian Loggerhead Turtle Population Assessment: 2005 Pilot Study
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 90
Migration data are available
from only two New Caledonian
nesting females to link the nesting
populations to their dispersed
foraging areas (Limpus, 1994;
Limpus and Limpus, 2001). Both
females migrated from feeding
areas in eastern Australia to New
Caledonian rookeries (Figure 19) and
subsequently returned, each to the
same feeding area from which she
began her breeding migration.
It can be assumed that the C. caretta
that foraging in New Caledonian
coastal in areas, like off Bourail (see
above) and Ile des Pines (Beloff,
1997) will include turtles that breed
both at the Australian rookeries
(Limpus and Limpus, 2003) and at
New Caledonian rookeries.
Again, until data are specically
available from a wider range of
foraging areas, it is recommended
that the demographic parameters
described for the species in eastern
Australian foraging areas and the
associated demographic modelling
(Chaloupka, 2003) be applied for
investigating the potential responses
of the New Caledonian populations
to anthropogenic impacts and their
potential responses to management
options.

There are some discrepancies among
the reports from local informants:
Laurence Langlois recollected that
20-30 years ago an average of 6
Grosse Tte nested per night at la
Roche Perce, with a maximum of
20-35 on some nights. This is similar
to estimates provided by Jean-Pierre
Reverc, also a local man who grew
up in the region, who suggests
that around 30 years ago, during
the peak of the nesting season, 5-6
loggerheads laid clutches at la Roche
Perce per night, and at the most 10
per night. Other reports claim that
nesting loggerheads once numbered
in the hundreds on any given night
within the breeding season. However,
the general consensus was that there
had been a decline in the amount of
nesting that occurs annually on the
Bourail District beaches over recent
decades.
A decline in the New Caledonian
nesting population would be
consistent with the substantive
declines in C. caretta breeding
recorded at the sites where
monitoring has occurred elsewhere
in the Pacic Ocean basin. It would be
appropriate then for steps to be taken
to improve the conservation outlook
for C. caretta in New Caledonia. In
particular, at nesting beaches, such as
those in the Bourail District, there are
a number of actions that can be taken
by the local community that will
contribute to improving reproductive
success for the species:
Reduce erosion and increase the
stability of the dunes that are the
nesting habitat:
planting of suitable vegetation
that will stabilize the beach;
excluding vehicle trafc from the
frontal dunes. This action would
reduce loss of eggs due to being
run over in the nests.
Extension of the existing rock wall
as a solution to erosion should be
avoided.
Dense vegetation should be planted
along the dunes. While this will
contribute to reduced erosion of the
dunes, it also will provide the beach
with protection from lighting.
Where possible, it is recommended
that a 1.5km darkness zone be
maintained around these nesting
beaches. Dark beaches are the
preferred management option for
maintaining sustainable turtle
populations. Altered light horizons
resulting from the continued
expansion of housing development
within this community can
be minimized via the use of
appropriate turtle-friendly lighting
including:
Low pressure sodium vapor
lights should be used where road
lighting is required along roads
and for external lighting of
buildings;
Security lighting visibly from the
beach should be turned on by
proximity sensors rather than
being turned on continuously
throughout the night;
Intermittent slowly ashing
lights can be used to mark
walking tracks.
FIGURE 18. Distribution of loggerhead
turtle, Caretta caretta, nesting within the
Pacic Ocean region (Source Limpus and
Limpus, 2003). Dots denote nesting sites.
FIGURE 19. Identied foraging areas for
two adult female Caretta caretta that
bred in New Caledonia. Crosses denote
nesting sites. Dots denote feeding sites.
91
It is recommended that vehicle
trafc be kept from access to the
turtle nesting habitat of the frontal
dunes of these beaches. This has
already been achieved in some
sections of beach through the use
of a line of closely placed large
rocks to obstruct vehicle access
(Figure 3e).
Turtle nesting would benet from
restricting boating activity to
dened navigation channels while
limiting boat speed within the
waters immediately off the nesting
beaches. While boating activity
does not appear to be a pressing
management issue at present, it
can be expected to increase with
increased development of the area
and increased tourist visitation.
Local residents should be
encouraged to manage the dog
population to prevent them from
wandering the dunes throughout
the night.
Local laws relating to harvest of
turtles should be enforced. If the
local Kanak people are permitted to
harvest turtles and/or eggs, then
the following general principals
can be applied to ensure that the
harvest can be sustainable:
At least 70% of the clutches
of eggs should produce
hatchlings. The loss of eggs to
dog predation, to erosion and
to human harvest need to be
collectively regulated to
ensure that sufcient
hatchlings are produced.
The harvest of nesting females
should not exceed 10% of the
annual recruitment rate to
the nesting population. Based
on eastern Australian
populations, this would
translate to no more than 10%
of 30% = 3% of the total
annual nesting population,
i.e. about a maximum of
2 adult females annually.
The management of a sustainable
level of take should be addressed
by the Kanak elders.
These issues need to be addressed by
an education campaign directed to
both the local residents and the local
government.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project was conducted as part
of the Queensland Turtle Research
Project. It was funded in part by
a grant from the Western Pacic
Regional Fisheries Management
Council (Contract No. 04-WPC-030).
The project could not have achieved
without the invaluable assistance of
the Association pour la Sauvegarde
de la Nature Neo-Caledonienne
and in particular the President,
J-Louis dAuzon. Marile and Daniel
Marteaud provided assistance with
accommodations. Numerous local
residents provided oral background
information on the region and
its turtles and assisted with the
beach studies. This assistance is
acknowledged and appreciated.
REFERENCES
Beloff, P. (1997). Report on the Isle
des Pines marine turtle survey
(21st December 1996 to 5th
January 1997. Unpublished
Report to Association Pour La
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93
North Pacic Loggerhead Turtle
Threat Mix
Appendix 1:
RISK MATRIX: THREATS RANKED (1-4)
1 = High threat level; high importance to take action
2 = Medium threat level
3 = Low threat level; low importance to take action
4 = No threat level (not applicable)
Unk = unknown threat (but could potentially be a threat, once more is known)
High level threats versus medium level threats ranked and/or prioritized based on tasks that are within reason
to implement given available monetary resources.
THREAT ADULTS JUVENILES HATCHLINGS EGGS
Threats to Nesting Beaches
Direct harvest (humans) 4 4 4 4
Coastal construction (disruption of nesting & hatching activities) 1 4 4 2
Nest predation by domestic, native and/or feral animals 4 4 3 3
a
Articial lighting 2.5 4 2.5 4
Data deciencies (nesting activity, identify nesting beaches,
determine and monitor trends, nesting beach origins, 3 4 3 3
dene stock boundaries, genetics)
Threats to Nesting Habitat
Degradation due to erosion-control measures, jetties, breakwaters 1 4 4 1
Sand removal & mining practices 2.5 4 4 2.5
Vehicular driving/ Foot trafc 2 4 1.5 1.5
Degradation by upland, coastal erosion, siltation (mining), 1 4 4 1
river armoring, dams
Ceremonial purposes
b
4 4 1 4
Global warming* (increasing sand temperature, sea level rise) 2 4 4 2
Typhoon 1.5 4 4 1.5
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 94
THREAT ADULTS JUVENILES HATCHLINGS EGGS
Threats to turtles in marine habitats
Direct harvest 1
c
1 4 4
Data deciencies (distribution, abundance, migration,
growth rates, survivorship, threats on foraging grounds) 2 2 4 4
Entanglement and ingestion of marine debris 2 2 3 4
Boat collisions 3 3 4 4
Incidental take in Fisheries
Longline 1 1 4 4
Purse seine 3 3 4 4
Trawl 1 1 4 4
Gillnet 1 1 4 4
Pound nets/traps/pots 3 3 4 4
FADs 3 3 4 4
Hook and line 3 3 4 4
Other
Disease 3 3 4 4
Predation 3 3 4 4
Threats to marine habitat
Data deciencies (identication of important foraging habitat) 1.5 1.5 4 4
Degradation of reefs by boating, diving, human use activities 2 (Unk) 4 4 4
Degradation by coastal erosion, siltation, including mining, 3 3 4 4
logging, pollution
Degradation of pelagic habitat by oil trans-shipment
d
* 2.5 2.5 4 4
Bioaccumulation of heavy metals through prey ingestion* Unk Unk 4 4
Commercial red crab shery
e
Unk Unk 4 4
a
Depending on the beach, egg predation by ghost crabs and ants takes place. In addition, a raccoon, introduced from the U.S., may prey on eggs and hatchlings
this may be an emerging issue.
b
In Hamamatsu (Shizuoka Prefecture), an NGO relocates eggs to hatchery and holds loggerhead hatchlings longer than normal after they hatch to be released
en masse on a set calendar day, for the purpose of educating and attracting tourists and local media. Hatchlings are released during the day, after spending
their frenzy period in a tank. Threat is therefore high for hatchlings in this area only.
c
There is minimal direct harvest by 3-4 communities in Japan of non-nesting loggerheads of minimum size of 70 cm. This is likely decreasing due to education
and outreach efforts. The direct harvest of loggerheads off Baja California, Mexico is still occurring at high levels and is the primary reason this threat is ranked
high. Few adults are taken - mainly juveniles and subadults.
d
There are proposals for installation of several Liquid Natural Gas facilities off southern California and Baja California, Mexico. This is an emerging issue.
e
While this shery is currently non-existent, if a commercial shery for pelagic red crabs does emerge, this could have serious impacts on loggerheads foraging
off Baja California, since this is one of their primary food sources.
* emerging issue
95
Workshop Participants
Contact Information
Appendix 2:
Alonso Aguirre
Director for Conservation
Medicine, Wildlife Trust
460 West 34th St. 17th Floor,
NY 10001 USA
Phone: (1) 212-380-4461
FAX: (1) 212-380-4475
[email protected]
George Keoki Balazs
NMFS-PIFSC
2570 Dole Street
Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Phone: (1) 808-983-5733
Fax: (1) 808-983-2900
[email protected]
Milani Chaloupka
Ecological Modeling Services
P.O. Box 6150,
University of Queensland,
St. Lucia
Queensland 4067, Australia
Mobile: ++0419-180-554
Fax: ++61-7-3362-9372
[email protected]
Peter Dutton
NMFS-SWFSC
P.O. Box 271
San Diego, CA 92038, USA
Phone: (1) 858- 546- 5636
Fax: (1) 858-546-7003
[email protected]
Christina Fahy
NMFSSWFSC
501 W. Ocean Blvd. # 4200
Long Beach, CA 90802, USA
Phone: (1) 562-980-4023
Fax: (1) 562-980-4027
[email protected]
Naoki Kamezaki
Sea Turtle Association of Japan
University of Tokyo
Dept. of Ecosystem Studies
Nagao-motomachi 5-17-18-302
Hirakata, Osaka 573-0163 Japan
Phone: 81-72- 864-0335
Fax: 81-72-864-0535
[email protected]
Irene Kinan
Western Pacic Regional
Fishery Management Council
1164 Bishop St. #1400
Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
Phone: (1) 808- 522-7495
Fax: (1) 808-522-8226
[email protected]
Colin Limpus
Queensland Parks Authority
160 Ann St. 8th Floor
Brisbane, QLD
P.O. Box 155, Brisbane Albert St.
Queensland 4002, Australia
Phone: 61-7-3227-7718
FAX: 61-7-3227-6386
[email protected]
David Maldonado
Instituto de Estudios Ambientales
Pino Suarez # 73
Col. El Jaral.
Loreto BCS Mxico. CP. 23880
[email protected]
Jeff Mangel
Pro Delphinus,
Octavio Bernal 572-5
Lima 11, Peru
[email protected]
Yoshimasa Matsuzawa
Sea Turtle Association of Japan
Nagao-motomachi 5-17-18,
Hirakata, Osaka 573-0163, Japan
Phone: 81-72-864-0335
Fax: 81-72-864-0535
[email protected]
Kojiro Mizuno
Sea Turtle Association of Japan
Nagaomotomachi 5-17-18
Hirakata, Osaka 573-0163, Japan
Phone: 81-72-864-0335
[email protected]
Wallace J. Nichols
Blue Ocean Institute
P.O. Box 324
Davenport, CA 95017, USA
Phone: (1) 831- 426 - 0337
[email protected]
Proceedings of the Second Western Pacic Sea Turtle Cooperative Research & Management Workshop 96
Kazuyoshi Ohmuta
Yakushima Umigame-Ka
489-8 Nagata, Kamiyaku
Kagoshima, 891-4201 Japan
Phone/Fax: 81-997-49-6550
[email protected]
Hoyt Peckham
Blue Ocean Institute
Long Marine Lab
100 Shaffer Rd
Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
Phone: (1) 831- 566-0510
[email protected]
Nicolas J. Pilcher
Marine Research Foundation
136 Lorong Pokok Seraya 2
Taman Khidmat Kota Kinabalu
Sabah 88450, Malaysia
Phone: 60-88-386136
Fax: 60-88-387136
[email protected]
Jeffrey Polovina
NMFS-PIFSC
2570 Dole Street
Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Phone: (1) 808- 983- 5301
Fax: (1) 808- 983-2900
[email protected]
Amanda Southwood
NMFS-PIFSC
2570 Dole Street
Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
[email protected]
Yonat Swimmer
NMFS-PIFSC
2570 Dole Street
Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Phone: (1) 808-592-2813
[email protected]
Hiroshi Takeshita
3-9-11 Higashi-Ohmiya,
Miyazaki 880-0825, Japan
Phone: 81-985-25-7585
[email protected]
Anne Patricia Trevor
SPREP
P.O. Box 240
Apia, Samoa
Phone: 685- 21929
Fax: 685- 20231
[email protected]