PROCEEDINGS OF THE WESTERN ATLANTIC TURTLE SYMPOSIUM San José, Costa Rica 17-22 July 1983 ENGLISH EDITION VOLUME 1 PROCEEDINGS OF THE WESTERN ATLANTIC TURTLE SYMPOSIUM EDITORS Peter Bacon Fred Berry Karen Bjorndal Harold Hirth Larry Ogren Michael Weber SYMPOSIUM ON SEA TURTLE RESEARCH OF THE WESTERN ATLANTIC (POPULATIONS AND SOCIOECONOMICS) 17-22 July 1983 San José, Costa Rica Sponsored By The INTERGOVERNMENTAL OCEANOGRAPHIC COMMISSION ASSOCIATION FOR THE CARIBBEAN AND ADJACENT REGIONS Supported By The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Published By RSMAS PRINTING MIAMI, FL 33149 USA APRIL 1984 In Cooperation With The GULF AND CARIBBEAN FISHERIES INSTITUTE Distributed By The CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION 624 9th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001 USA 2 With a grant from the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, WIDECAST has digitized the databases and proceedings of the Western Atlantic Turtle Symposium (WATS) with the hope that the revitalized documents might provide a useful historical context for contemporary sea turtle management and conservation efforts in the Western Atlantic Region. With the stated objective of serving “as a starting point for the identification of critical areas where it will be necessary to concentrate all efforts in the future”, the first Western Atlantic Turtle Symposium convened in Costa Rica (17-22 July 1983), and the second in Puerto Rico four years later (12-16 October 1987). WATS I featured National Reports from 43 political jurisdictions; 37 presented at WATS II. WATS I opened with these words: “The talks which we started today have the multiple purpose of bringing our knowledge up to date about the biological peculiarities of the marine turtle populations of the western Atlantic; to know and analyse the scope of the National Reports prepared by the scientific and technical personnel of more than thirty nations of the region; to consider options for the orderly management of marine turtle populations; and in general to provide an adequate forum for the exchange of experiences among scientists, administrators, and individuals interested in making contributions for the preservation of this important natural resource.” A quarter-century has passed, and the results of these historic meetings have been lost to science and to a new generation of managers and conservationists. Their unique importance in providing baseline data remains un- recognized, and their potential as a “starting point” is neither known nor appreciated. The proceedings document what was known at the time concerning the status and distribution of nesting and for- aging habitat, population size and trend, mortality factors, official statistics on exploitation and trade, estimated incidental catch, employment dependent on turtles, mariculture operations, public and private institutions con- cerned with conservation and use, legal aspects (e.g. regulations, enforcement, protected areas), and active research projects. In most cases it was the first time a national sea turtle assessment had been conducted. Despite the potential value of this information to agencies responsible for conducting stock assessments, monitor- ing recovery trends, and safeguarding critical habitat in the 21st century, the hand-written National Reports, largely illegible in the published proceedings, have slipped into obscurity. To help ensure the legacy of these symposia, we have digitized the entire proceedings, including the National Reports, plenary presentations and panels, and annotated bibliographies of both meetings, and posted them online at http://www.widecast.org/What/ RegionalPrograms.html. Each National Report, as well as this Proceedings volume, has been scanned from the original document. Errors in the scan have been corrected; however, to be true to the original content (as closely as we can discern it), potential errors of content have not been corrected. This article should be cited: Bacon, P., F. Berry, K. Bjorndal. H. Hirth, L. Ogren, and M. Weber (Editors). 1984. Proceedings of the First West- ern Atlantic Turtle Symposium, 17-22 July 1983, San José. Volume I. RSMAS Printing, Miami. 306 pp. Karen L. Eckert WIDECAST Executive Director June 2009 i TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME 1 Page i. Inaugural Speeches a. Address of Dr. Manuel Murillo, 1 President of IOCARIBE b. Address of Sr. Jorge Csirke, 3 FAO Observer c. Address of Dr. Robert Lankford, 4 Administrator to WATS d. Address of Sr. Francisco Morales Hernandez, 6 Minister of Agriculture and Livestock ii. History of WATS 8 iii. List of Participants a. Speakers Table 14 b. National Representatives 15 c. WATS Executive and Steering Committee 19 d. WATS Technical Team 20 e. WATS Local Committee 21 f. Registered Participants at the Symposium (see Appendix 4) 283 Program Activities Map of Region 22 Copy of Program 23 1. WATS Computerized Data Base 24 2. Summary of Numerical Data 65 3. Overview Synopsis 75 4. Panel Sessions 78 4.1 Green Turtle 78 4.1.1 Overview of Biology 78 4.1.2 Rapporteur Report of the Green Turtle Species Synopsis Panel Session 81 4.1.3 Audience Response 86 4.2 Loggerhead Turtle 87 4.2.1 Overview of Biology 87 4.2.2 Rapporteur Report of the Loggerhead Turtle Species Synopsis Panel Session 90 4.2.3 Audience Response 95 ii Page 4.3 Kemp's Ridley Turtle 96 4.3.1 Overview of Biology 96 4.3.2 Rapporteur Report of the Kemp's Ridley Turtle Species Synopsis Panel Session 101 4.3.3 Audience Response 103 4.4 Olive Ridley Turtle 105 4.4.1 Overview of Biology 105 4.4.2 Rapporteur Report of the Olive Ridley Turtle Species Synopsis Panel Session 108 4.5 Hawksbill Turtle 112 4.5.1 Overview of Biology 112 4.5.2 Rapporteur Report of the Hawksbill Turtle Species Synopsis Panel Session 118 4.5.3 Audience Response 124 4.6 Leatherback Turtle 125 4.6.1 Overview of Biology 125 4.6.2 Rapporteur Report of the Leatherback Turtle Species Synopsis Panel Session 127 4.6.3 Audience Response 131 4.7 Research Techniques and Planning 133 4.7.1 Rapporteur Report of the Research Techniques and Planning Panel Session 133 4.7.2 Audience Response 138 4.8 Habitat Alteration Impacts 139 4.8.1 Rapporteur Report of the Habitat Alteration Impacts Panel Session 139 4.8.2 Audience Response 144 4.9 Utilization 146 4.9.1 Rapporteur Report of the Utilization Panel Session 146 4.9.2 Audience Response 152 4.9.3 Annex to Management Options Panel Session 153 4.10 Conservation 163 4.10.1 Rapporteur Report of the Conservation Panel Session 163 4.10.2 Audience Response 173 4.11 Culture 174 4.11.1 Rapporteur Report of the Culture Panel Session 174 4.12 Enforcement and Regulations 181 4.12.1 Rapporteur Report of the Enforcement and Regulations Panel Session 181 4.12.2 Audience Response 184 4.13 Status of Species 186 4.13.1 Rapporteur Report of the Status of Species Panel Session 186 4.13.2 Audience Response 206 4.14 Management Options 207 4.14.1 Rapporteur Report of the Management Options Panel Session 20 7 4.14.2 Audience Response 222 5. Future Actions 224 5.1 Rapporteur Report of Future Actions Session 224 5.2 Annex I to Future Action Session 231 6. Summary of the Symposium (and adoption of Rapporteur Reports) 233 iii Appendices 1. Abstracts of Posters 236 2. Abstracts of Posters 247 3. Manual Announcement 282 4. List of Registered Participants 283 5. Report on Eastern Pacific Sea Turtle Research Ad hoc Session (Abstract) 300 Acknowledgements 302 VOLUME 2 Appendix 6. Annotated Bibliography of Sea Turtle Research in the Western Central Atlantic VOLUME 3 Appendix 7. National Reports ___________________________________ END iv i. INAUGURAL SPEECHES i.a Address of Dr. Manuel M. Murillo, President of IOCARIBE, at the Inaugural Session of the Western Atlantic Turtle Symposium The talks which we started today have the multiple purpose of bringing our knowledge up to date about the biological peculiarities of the marine turtle populations of the western Atlantic; to know and analyse the scope of the National Reports prepared by the scientific and technical personnel of more than thirty nations of the region; to consider options for the orderly management of the marine turtle populations; and in general to provide an adequate forum for the exchange of experiences among scientists, administrators, and individuals interested in making contributions for the preservation of this important natural resource. This symposium was created in Fort de France, Martinique, as a result of a meeting of experts convened by IOCARIBE in November, 1977, for the formulation of a scientific research program on the living resources of the Caribbean area. Its realization, to become a relevant scientific event, is due to the strong support of the nations of the region, of various international organizations, of the scientists and technical personnel that have worked with dedication in the preparation of the reports and in the compilation of the data, as well as to the commitment and dedication of a group of idealists who gave the best of their capabilities to accomplish the responsibilities assigned to the Steering Committee, to the Technical Team and Local Committee of Costa Rica. It is hoped that the success achieved in all aspects of the preparatory stages will be greatly improved by the contributions and by the quality of the discussions which will be generated by each one of the sessions during this symposium. In this context, the contributions of the National Representatives acquire fundamental impor- tance, particularly in the special session when they discuss the definition of goals for the immediate future. The basis of the data derived from the National Reports will serve as a starting point for the identification of critical areas where it will be necessary to concentrate all efforts in the future.