TURTLE MOI\ITORING ON FUNAFUTIO TUVALU 4rH December - l4rE December 2006 In Collaborationbetween the Departmentof Fisheries and the Departmentof Environmentof the Governmentof Tuvalu and the Tuvalu Associationof Non-Governmental Organisations(TANGO) Administeredby the Institute of Marine Resources, the University of the SouthPacific, Suva Surveyconducted by: Mr. SemeseAlefaio - TANGO (Teamteader) Mr. TatauaAlefaio - AssociateResearcher (Fisheries Department) Alan Resture- AssociateResearcher (Institute of Marine Resources) Introduction Turtles have been around for thousandof years. Its importance varies from region to region. In Tuvalu, turtle is a pricelesscommodity in Tuvaluan culture. The head of the turtle when caught is given to the chief. This symbolises the mana of the chief. The rest is divided among members of society. As such, it is a delicacy in Tuvaluan diet and the people of Tuvalu continue to harvest and consumeits meat and eggs. Today, turtles found either nesting or feeding in Tuvaluan waters have decline. Anecdotal evidencesuggests that extensivehunting of turtles and collection of turtle eggsaround the Tuvalu waters causethis decline. Having realised this dilemma, the Coastal Programme of the Tuvalu Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (TANGO) requested the Institute of Marine Resourcesto conduct a monitoring programme for some of the islands known to have turtles feeding or nesting. The SPREPis also conducting its regional effort to monitor the statusof this endangeredspecies through the Department of Environment and the Departmentof Fisheriesof the Governmentof Tuvalu. Preliminary Survey A 3-day regional training workshop conductedby the Institute of Marine Resources and SPREP invited members of different institutions from Fiji, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu to be trained on tagging and monitoring turtles around their waters. The workshop was held from the 29ffiNovernber to the l't December 2006, at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. Two participants from Tuvalu (Mr. SemeseAlefaio - Coordinator of TANGO's coastal programme and Tataua Alefaio Fisheries Research Officer) attended the workshop. Upon completion of the workshop, the participants returned to Tuvalu with IMR Fellow, Mr. Alan Resture to carry out preliminary surveys of nesting beaches.Permissions were sought from the Departmentof Environment, Funafuti Kaupule (Island Council) and the Departmentof Fisheriesto carry out the survey. The survey was conductedon Funafuti. All of the islets inside Funafuti's conservation areasare included in the survey. One fresh nest was recorded on Fuakeaislet together with six old nests. Two fresh nests were also recorded on Vasafua. The rest of the islets have no nests.The team saw two adult greensin the lagoon of the conservation area but were not able to catch and tag them. A total of 10 islets were surveyed on Funafuti. These sites have now been identified and will be monitored bv the two officers for the hatchlines. Head Start Programme The survey found that one of the burrowed-pit next to a residentwas used as a nursery for 8 green turtles (chelonia mydas) and one hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys inbricata). The turtles belong to a staff of the National Fisheries Corporation of Tuvalu (NAFICOT). Mr Alefaio also has a small green turtle that we tagged and release at Vasafua, one of the islets within the conservation area. A head-start programme seemsto be working on Funafuti whereby children keep young turtles as pets. Our hope is to tag and releasethese turtles once they are big enough. Threats to Turtles Harvesting of turtles for their meat is the foremost threat to turtles. Staff of NAFICOT caught a feeding female green turtle at Tepuka on Wednesday 6th December and our team took measurementsof the turtle. The turtle weighed ll3.7kg, its length is 101 cm carapace(CCL), and width is 91cm (CCW). The turtle was tagged probably at a younger age but the tag is now missing. The team estimated that the turtle is probably between 40 and 50 years old. The team also tried to persuade the Manager of the NAFICOT to tag and releasethe turtle, but he asked for AUD$500.00. Unfortunately we did not have that money to pay for its release.The turtle was killed the next day and sold for $5.00 per 500mls container.Staff of NAFICOT ate some of the meat. They collected $200 from the sale of turtle meat. On Vaitupu, Talaapa (pers. comm., 2006) reported that she witnessed a total of 19 turtles were killed in three days, two weeks prior to our arrival on Funafuti. Some local fishermen we interviewed confirmed that the number of turtles sited and harvested has declined rapidly (Logologo, Alotu, pers. comm,. 2006). At this rate, turtles will not have a brisht future in Tuvalu. Poaching Poachingis anotherthreat that we identified. Footprints were seen on the conservation islets where ernpty bullets were collected. The next day, the team caught two boats fishing inside the conservationarea. Pictures of the two boats were taken and one boat has a basket full of giant clams, while the other has divers with spears.Both these men and their crew are not from Funafuti. This indicatesthat while the people of Funafuti and the Kaupule may be trytng their best to conservetheir resources,people from other communities will continue to poach and break the law. Coastal Erosion One of the threatsidentified is the rate of coastalbeach erosion on the known nestins sites. Most of the islets face erosional problernsincluding loss of coastal vegetation. Recommendations The studv recommends that the second phaseshould include membersof the Kaupule, local fishermen, staff of the NAFICOT and the Departmentof Fisheries.A radio talk should also be aired on Radio Tuvalu to promote awareness. Funafuti Kaupule to take those caught poaching inside the conservationarea to court. This should send a messageto the rest of the poachers that the Kaupule is serious about conserving its resources. The fact that poachers were caught inside the conservation area proves that anyone can wait for the turtles to come up and nest in thesesites and take the turtles. The Kaupule has a by-law prohibiting people from harvesting turtles and turtle eggs within the ConservationArea, in which a fine of $5,000 is imposedupon the offender. The ConservationAct of 1999 supportsthis by-law. The Department of Fisheries can assist in providing the tanks for a head start programme where hatchlings can be raised and then released when they are about 30cm long. For this, a donor may purchasea water pump. Conclusion This initial survey concludes that promoting awarenessis essential and therefore, should start at the very earliest. Having communities included in this initiative is vital and therefore, should be encouraged.Having people change their lifestyle may be difficult becauseit is part of their culture, but informing them of the consequencesof eating or harvesting turtles is an essentialingredient to the successfulconservation of this rapidly declining endangeredturtle stock. Acknowledgement The team would like to thank the following people for their various contributions to the successfulcompletion of the initial field survey: 1. The Department of Environment and the Department of Fisheries for their support on this initiative. 2. The Kaupule o Funafuti for giving us permission to visit the Conservation Area including the islets 3. TANGO for the in-kind support renderedduring this field activity. 4. NAFICOT for allowing the team to take measurementof the greenturtle 5. The two poachers for poaching during that day so that we can prove our suspicionsthat poachersis a threat to the conservationof fisheriesresources 6. Last but not least, our most sincere gratitude to our launch-hand, Mr. Limasene Olikene and his wife Sulami Limasene for providing our meals and drinks..