Marine Turtle Newsletter 66:26-30, © 1994
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Marine Turtle Newsletter 66:26-30, © 1994
CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM FOR ORISSA TURTLES-The letter-writing campaign initiated by the Marine Turtle Newsletter [see MTN 63 Supplement, 64:1-3] on behalf of the olive ridleys nesting at Gahirmatha Beach (the largest gathering of nesting turtles in the world), has had splendid effect. Dozens of you from around the world, many representing prestigious institutions, responded to the urgent plea of Indian conservationists that Indian authorities be made aware of the serious threat posed to the turtles (and the entire Bhitarkanika Sanctuary) by the construction of commercial fishing jetties at Talchua. As a result, the issue has been aired in Science magazine, The London Times, and other prominent media. Resolutions urging that alternatives to the jetties be considered were passed by the 14th Annual Sea Turtle Symposium, the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, and the Herpetologists' League. In April, the Centre for Environmental Law, WWF-India "filed a civil writ petition in the Orissa High Court, located at Cuttack, to save the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary and the olive ridley sea turtles" (Chhatrapati Singh, CEL Director, in litt. 24 May 1994). There is hope. We will have an update on the whole situation in October. Thank you all for your prompt and effective response to this crisis. KLE/SAE.
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122 NATIONS HAVE JOINED CITES-The Republic of Korea (South Korea) acceded to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on 9 July 1993 and became the 120th Party to the Convention on 7 October 1993. Viet Nam acceded to the Convention on 20 January 1994, effective 20 April 1994. The Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis acceded on 14 February, effective 15 May 1994. Source: adapted from TRAFFIC Bulletin, 1993, 14(1):1 and 1994, 14(2):41.
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MEXICO CREATES MARINE TURTLE PROTECTION COMMISSION-President Salinas has created an inter-agency commission for the Protection and Conservation of Marine Turtles. The Commission is designed to coordinate the activities of all Mexican federal agencies involved in research, protection, conservation, and recovery. Participating agencies include the ministries of Communication and Transport (SCT), Fisheries (SEPESCA), Navy (SEMAR), Public Education (SEP), Social Development (SEDESOL), and Tourism (SECTUR), as well as the Attorney General's Office (PGR). (In Mexico, the PGR is the agency responsible for the enforcement of environmental regulations.) Other agencies may be invited to participate as the Commission believes appropriate. The Commission will be presided over by a SEPESCA official and SEDESOL will provide a technical secretary. The Commission will form a technical committee composed of specialists from state governments, municipalities, education and research groups, and other organizations working with turtles. Source: U. S. Embassy, Mexico City, 20 December 1993, as reported in U. S. National Marine Fisheries Service Weekly Highlights, 3-7 January 1994.
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FORMER TURTLE FISHERMAN HONORED-Rene Sylva of Paia [Hawaii] is one of 15 winners from across the United States selected to receive the 40th annual Chevron-Times Mirror Magazines Conservation Award recognizing natural resource conservation efforts. A native Hawaiian commercial sea turtle fisherman, Sylva abandoned his livelihood because of the decline he saw in the turtle population. He destroyed his nets, gave away all his turtle shells and was the only fisherman to testify for a ban on continued turtle fishing. Sylva and others lobbied successfully to include Hawaii's sea turtles on the Endangered Species List. After quitting his fishing career, Sylva became a groundskeeper at the zoo when it opened in 1976 and persuaded his boss the zoo should have a botanical garden. Using his own resources, he took it upon himself to collect, grow and care for more than 200 native Hawaiian species to create the Maui Zoological and Botanical Gardens. Source: excerpted from The Maui News, 19 May 1994.
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POACHERS ARRESTED IN PUERTO RICO-Twelve Puerto Ricans arrested on federal charges involving the killing of endangered hawksbill and green sea turtles will be arraigned on Wednesday [20 April 1994] before U. S. Magistrate Justo Arenas. Officers from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U. S. Marshals Service and the U. S. Customs Service arrested the 12 on Thursday after a grand jury here [in Puerto Rico] returned indictments. The indictments came after a six-month investigation into the illegal selling and possession of turtles near Lajas, said Assistant U. S. Attorney Sylvia Carreño. The 12 were indicted on a range of charges including violations of the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act, conspiracy, and aiding and abetting in a criminal offense.
Two of the defendents, Jackie Pérez and Noel Vázquez, were charged with three counts of conspiracy; adiing and abetting; taking, possessing, transporting and selling hawksbill and green sea turtles. The indictment states that Pérez and Vázquez used Pérez's boat to fish sea turtles in areas around Mona Island. The pair are charged with killing and dismembering the sea turtles, and selling more than 119 pounds of turtle meat for more than US$ 800. Other defendants face charges of conspiracy, and possession of and selling of turtle meat. Individuals who violate the Endangered Species Act are subject to fines of up to $250,000 and one year's imprisonment or both. The Lacey Act violations carry fines up to $250,000 and five years of prison or both. All charges filed under the Lacey act are felonies. Source: excerpted from The San Juan Star, 17 April 1994. Editor's note: Seven of the 12 defendents pled innocent; trials will be scheduled for later this summer.
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TOURIST IMPRISONED/FINED FOR "RESCUING" HATCHLINGS-A Chicago tourist who took six hatchling loggerhead sea turtles from their nest site on Venice Beach, Florida back to his Illinois home in 1992 [see MTN 63:30] was sentenced today in federal court after having violated the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act. Handling loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings, which are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, is illegal without a permit, and to carry the animals across states lines is a violation of the Lacey Act. James T. Frainey, who was raising the hatchlings in a 55-gallon tank in his home before being caught, was sentenced to serve 70 days in federal prison, pay over $14,000 in fines and restitution and serve one year of supervised probation following his release. The $14,455 in restitution Frainey must pay will be given to Shedd Aquarium to cover costs associated with rehabilitating the hatchlings. When the sick turtles were originally dropped off at Shedd, they were unusually small for their age, weak and dehydrated. Source: adapted from Sea Turtle Survival League Press Release, 9 June 1994.
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TURTLES ON SALE IN EGYPT-During a visit to Egypt in late 1992/early 1993, Dimitrios Dimopoulos of the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, encountered whole stuffed turtles and decorative items made from tortoiseshell on sale in a number of souvenir outlets. Polished sea turtle carapaces of hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas) were observed in a shop in Cairo and, in Luxor, two stuffed hawksbill juveniles and two stuffed hawksbill hatchlings were on sale in a tourist shop. In Hurghada, on the Red Sea, all five tourist shops encountered contained stuffed sea turtles (mostly hawksbills) or carapaces of green, hawksbill and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles; sea turtle flippers were also on display. One carapace seen was thought to be of an olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea). On the waterfront in Alexandria a freshly slaughtered adult loggerhead was observed. All species recorded are listed in CITES Appendix I. Source: TRAFFIC Bulletin, 1994, 14(2):50.
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LEATHERBACKS IN IRELAND-There were many sightings of [leatherback sea turtles] off Ireland's south coast all through the summer ... drifting by, feeding on jelly fish and siphonophores. Of those who visited us, at least two did not head back to warm waters. One certainly drowned after being tangled in the buoy-line of a string of cray pots off Crookhaven, and another came ashore in Ballycotton dead, probably another fishing casualty, both females, and both with 5-foot shells. If fishermen finding themselves with a huge reptile in their nets would only remember that these animals need to breathe air, like ourselves. In one case, having cut a turtle free of the buoy line on a string of cray pots, it got tangled again a few hours later, a mile away on another buoy line. ... it was well below the surface, and dead, and the fishermen towed it back to Crookhaven. Of course, if there was any life at all in such an animal, it should always be let free to go on its way. Source: excerpted from The Badger, Newsletter of the Irish Wildlife Federation, Winter 1993.
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JAPANESE MEN HELD IN TURTLE SHELL SMUGGLING-Narita, Chiba Pref. (Kyodo): Customs at Narita airport and police have arrested two suspected smugglers of hawksbill turtle shells. Kiyotaka Shigenobu, 57, the owner of a Nagasaki shop that sells goods made of turtle shell, was found in possession of about 800 pieces, or 24.1 kg, of hawksbill shell, worth ¥ 3 million, in his suitcases when he arrived at the airport from Spain on January 19, police said Monday [7 February 1994]. He told police he bought the shells in [the Caribbean country of] Dominica. Kyoji Kozaki, 37, a hawksbill shell craftsman in Nagasaki, was arrested on suspicion of asking Shigenobu to buy and smuggle the shells. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as the Washington Convention [or CITES], prohibits international transactions in turtle goods. Japan is a member. The arrests were the first in connection with an attempt to smuggle hawksbill shell into Japan, police said. Source: Japan Times, 9 February 1994.
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MEN SENTENCED FOR COOKING TURTLE-Wailuku, Hawaii: Four homeless men were sentenced Wednesday [12 January 1994] to the two days in jail they each had already served for cooking up green sea turtle stew. Robert Madden, 29, Calvin Lawson, 34, Thomas Keey, 35, and Jamy McCoy, 32, each pleaded guilty in Wailuku District Court to possession of a threatened species. The four were arrested Sunday night by state Department of Land and Natural Resources officers as they were preparing to make a meal of a butchered green sea turtle in the Hale Nanea area near Kahului Harbor. The defendants claim they found the animal already dead. Unable to post $200 bail, the four had remained in custody until their sentencing Wednesday morning. Source: Maui News, Hawaii, 13 January 1994.
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BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY CONVENTION IN FORCE-The Convention on Biological Diversity, one of the global treaties signed at the recent U. N. Conference on Environment and Development (the "Earth Summit"), came into force on 29 December 1993, 90 days after the 30th State (Mongolia) deposited its instrument of ratification. The first Conference of the Parties will be held towards the end of 1994. Source: adapted from Oryx, 1994, 28(1):4.
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ARCHIE CARR REFUGE-President Clinton, thanks to pressure from the Center for Marine Conservation and other environmental groups, has asked Congress to appropriate $7 million dollars-five times the amount requested a year ago-for the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge in Fiscal Year 1995! It is now time to put pressure on Congress to follow the President's lead and appropriate the requested amount in this fiscally conservative year. In other good news, the Florida Conservation and Recreation Lands Program (CARL) has moved the Refuge to number 3 on their list of priority projects for land acquisition. Source: excerpted from Center for Marine Conservation Marine Conservation News, 1994, 6(2):15.
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CHECKLISTS OF THREATENED ANIMALS-The U. K. Joint Nature Conservation Committee has published updated volumes of the World Checklists of Threatened Birds, Mammals, Amphibians and Reptiles, and the Checklist of Fish and Invertebrates listed in the CITES Appendices. They are compiled by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre on behalf of the U. K. Scientific Authority for Animals and incorporate additions and amendments to the CITES appendices up to and including those made at the 8th Conference of the Parties in Kyoto in March 1992. They are all available from Natural History Book Service Ltd, 2 Wills Road, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5XN, U.K. Source: Oryx, 1994, 28(1):14.
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HAWAII PORT STATION OPENS-The Fisheries Observer Branch, Southwest Region, National Marine Fisheries Service has established a Port Field Station in Honolulu, Hawaii to place required observers aboard pelagic longline vessels. The observers will collect information about the interaction of sea turtles and other protected species associated with the tuna and swordfish longline fisheries. The Hawaii Port Field Station will begin operations 1 February 1994 under the supervision of Mr. Thomas J. Shearer, Port Coordinator. The station business address and telephone numbers are: National Marine Fisheries Service, 76 N. King Street, Suite 200, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 USA; Tel (808) 522-8245, FAX (808) 522-8248.
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ISUZU TURTLE TRAIL-Wildlife enthusiasts can look forward to a fascinating new outdoor experience-the Isuzu Turtle Trail on the Maputaland coast. Delta Motor Corporation has donated an Isuzu KB 260 4x4 pick-up [truck] to the KwaZulu Bureau of Natural Resources to enable it to conduct "turtle trails" along the remote coastline between Kosi Bay and Sodwana. Night-time drives will leave from Rocktail Bay Lodge. Best viewing will be from October to March, when leatherback and loggerhead turtles swim ashore to lay their eggs in the sand. Participants will have a unique opportunity to watch and photograph turtles laying eggs. Drives will take place only at low tide to avoid disturbing existing turtle nests. Source: African Wildlife, 1993, 47(3):134.
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CORAL THREATENED BY GLOBAL WARMING-Massive coral bleaching is now occurring in the South Pacific. This phenomena is taking place in ocean "hot spot" regions, areas with monthly average sea surface temperatures more than 1°C above historic averages in the warmest months. NOAA satellite images show that a hot spot formed in January between 20° and 30°S and 120° to 140°W. In February it migrated to between 15° to 25°S and 130 to 170°W. Bleaching began in the Society Islands and the Tuomoto Islands in March, followed shortly afterwards by Samoa. By April waters above 30°C stretched across the Pacific from Samoa to the Solomon Islands. Divers and scientists in French Polynesia and Samoa who are following bleaching in the field believe it may be the worst there yet and are expecting very high coral mortality. Source: excerpted from Ocean Voice International Sea Wind 8(1):21.
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LAW SUIT THREATENED-In February, the Center for Marine Conservation notified the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that legal action may be necessary to protect endangered and threatened sea turtles along Florida's east-central coast. The notice, filed under the Endangered Species Act, informs the NMFS, the Governor, and responsible agencies of the State of Florida that adequate measures are needed to protect sea turtles from gill net fishing off the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge and nearshore reefs. In each of the past several years, hundreds of sea turtles have washed up dead along the beaches in and around the Refuge. Data from NMFS and the Florida Marine Fisheries Commission indicate that a major cause is gill net fishing (primarily for pompano and Spanish mackerel) within the near-shore reefs where juvenile green sea turtles feed on algal growth. Scientists agree that the best way to ensure the protection of these turtles is to seasonally close the area to gill nets, but the Governor, the Cabinet, and NMFS have failed to take appropriate action. Source: excerpted from Center for Marine Conservation Marine Conservation News, 1994, 6(2):17.