An Assessment of the Status and Exploitation of Marine Turtles in the Turks and Caicos Islands
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
An Assessment of the Status and Exploitation of Marine Turtles in the Turks and Caicos Islands TCOT Final Report: Section 9 Page 1 This document is part of a larger publication and should be cited as: Godley BJ, Broderick AC, Campbell LM, Ranger S, Richardson PB (2004) 9. An Assessment of the Status and Exploitation of Marine Turtles in the Turks and Caicos Islands. In: An Assessment of the Status and Exploitation of Marine Turtles in the UK Overseas Territories in the Wider Caribbean. pp 180-222. Final Project Report for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The full report is hosted in PDF format at the Project website: http://www.seaturtle.org/mtrg/projects/tcot/finalreport/ This project was implemented by the Marine Turtle Research Group (University of Exeter in Cornwall, UK), the Marine Conservation Society (UK), and Duke University (USA) in association with the Cayman Islands Department of Environment, Cayman Turtle Farm, and University of Cardiff (UK). This initial consortium was expanded to include a large number of organisations across the Overseas Territories. TCOT Final Report: Section 9 Page 2 9. Status and Exploitation of Marine Turtles in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Contents Page 9.1. Summary and Recommendations 181-185 9.2. Geographical Overview 186-187 9.3. Historical Overview 187 9.4. Organisations Involved with Marine Turtles in TCI 188-189 9.5. Status of Nesting Marine Turtles in TCI 189-193 9.5.1. Monitoring efforts 189-191 9.5.2. Genetics of nesting populations 191 9.5.3. Data from TCOT SEQ 191 9.5.4. Threats to TCI’s nesting populations 192-193 9.6. Status of Foraging Marine Turtles in TCI 193-201 9.6.1. Monitoring efforts 195-197 9.6.2. Genetics of foraging populations 198-199 9.6.3. Threats to TCI’s foraging turtle populations 199-201 9.6.4. Data from TCOT SEQ 9.7. Direct Use of Marine Turtles in TCI 201-217 9.7.1. Data form TCOT SEQ 204 9.7.2. Harvest of adults on the nesting beach 205 9.7.3. Harvest of eggs 205-206 9.7.4. Harvest at sea 206-210 9.7.5. Trade in turtle meat 210-215 9.7.5.1. Sale of meat by turtle fishers 210-211 9.7.5.2. Sale of meat by direct vendors 211-213 9.7.5.3. Consumption of turtle meat 213-215 9.7.6. Trade in shells and shell products 215 9.7.6.1. Sale of turtle shells 215 9.7.6.2. Sale of shell pieces 215 9.7.7. Incidental catch in marine fisheries 216-217 9.8. Indirect Use 217-218 9.8.1. Turtle watching on beaches 217 9.8.2. Dive/snorkelling tourism 217 9.8.3. Aquaria holding marine turtles 218 9.8.4. Gift shops 218 9.8.5. Data from the TCOT SEQ 218 9.9. Attitudes to Conservation 218-219 9.10. Capacity Building and Outreach Activities During TCOT 220 9.10.1. Capacity building 220 9.10.2. Outreach activities 220 9.11. Acknowledgements 221 9.12. References 221-222 TCOT Final Report: Section 9 Page 180 9.1 Summary and Recommendations and nominal investment in educational outreach, research, monitoring and fishery management, the TCI turtle fishery Summary has the potential to be sustainable, and meet the demands At least two species of marine turtle (green and hawksbill of TCI tradition without threatening the existence and value turtles) nest in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI; see of TCI’s turtles as natural attractions. table 9.1.) but these nesting populations appear to have decreased and nesting is now limited to remote cays. This will require actions under the following headings: Little coordinated marine turtle research or conservation management has been undertaken in TCI and much 9.1.1. Increase capacity for marine turtle management needs to be done to ensure the continued existence of in the Turks and Caicos Islands the country’s nesting marine turtle populations. Foraging green and hawksbill turtles are widespread in TCI’s coastal 9.1.1.1. Increase the capacity of the Department of waters, and may represent regionally significant populations Environment and Coastal Resources and the Protected of both these species despite having been subject to direct Areas Department. exploitation for a long period of time. Direct exploitation still 9.1.1.2. Establish a multi-stakeholder marine turtle occurs and we estimate that between approximately 240 management process. and 1,130 green turtles and between approximately 180 and 900 hawksbills are likely taken per year in directed 9.1.2. Amend legislation and policy to facilitate marine fishing effort. In addition, approximately 190 turtles (green turtle population recovery and hawksbills) may be incidentally caught on hook and line or in gill nets by TCI fishers each year, the majority 9.1.2.1. Amend harvest legislation. of which are consumed. These populations are therefore 9.1.2.2. Amend Planning Policy and Beach Management. subject to the largest legal take of marine turtles in the UK 9.1.2.3. Recommendations regarding Multilateral Overseas Territories in the Caribbean. Marine turtles are Environmental Agreements and TCI national legislation. also used indirectly by the tourism industry, both as natural attractions and as saleable icons of the TCI. 9.1.3. Establish systematic monitoring of marine turtle populations to determine trends in abundance TCOT recommends that the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands takes all necessary steps to ensure 9.1.3.1. Establish systematic monitoring efforts at index the recovery of its nesting marine turtle populations and nesting beaches. the sustained existence of its foraging populations. With 9.1.3.2. Establish systematic monitoring efforts at index amended legislation, increased regulation and enforcement, foraging sites Species Nesting Foraging Harvest Green Turtle Yes, probably in very Adults and juveniles Relatively high levels of (Chelonia mydas) small numbers present legal, unmonitored harvest at sea. Some illegal take of Large numbers of undersized specimens juveniles in some areas Low levels of illegal egg harvest Hawksbill Turtle Moderate numbers, Adults and juveniles Relatively high levels of (Eretmochelys imbricata) the most frequently present legal, unmonitored harvest encountered species at sea. Some illegal take of nesting in TCI Large numbers of juveniles undersized specimens in some areas Low levels of illegal egg harvest Leatherback Turtle No nesting in TCI Occasionally seen offshore No harvest (Dermochelys coriacea) Loggerhead Turtle Possibly, but probably in Adults and juveniles Occasional legal harvest of (Caretta caretta) small numbers occasionally encountered adults Table 9.1. Marine turtle species and summary of harvest in TCI. TCOT Final Report: Section 9 Page 181 9.1.4. Establish further conservation and awareness stakeholders in the management of TCI’s turtle fishery. programmes to sensitise those living in and visiting the TCOT SEQ indicated that there was a general acceptance Turks and Caicos Islands to marine turtle conservation of the importance of marine turtle conservation in TCI. requirements Future conservation measures in TCI will only be effective if they are accepted by the public, and to facilitate such 9.1.4.1. Encourage and implement sensitive practices at acceptance, stakeholders must have meaningful input existing nesting beaches into a decision-making progress. Such a process would 9.1.4.2. Implement general awareness programmes be most cost-effective if established under existing and regarding marine turtle conservation in the Turks and appropriate Advisory Committees (e.g. Scientific Authority Caicos Islands and/or the Fisheries Advisory Committee). Alternatively, the conservation of marine turtles and their habitats could be Additionally, we make a major overarching considered by advisory groups established and committed recommendation to the UK Government to support the to overseeing the implementation of the Environment conservation and management of marine biodiversity Charter in TCI. in the UK OTs under the Environment Charters. 9.1.1.1. Increase the capacity of the Department of The Overseas Territories of the UK have long been Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) and the acknowledged as being rich in biodiversity (Proctor & Protected Areas Department (PAD) Fleming 1999). The small islands or island archipelagos of the Caribbean UK Overseas Territories currently a) Ensure DECR/PAD has the capacity, staff and do not or are unable to carry out sufficient monitoring, resources to carry out enforcement and monitoring research, management and educational outreach required duties relevant to marine turtle management, including to ensure the sustainability of their marine and coastal data collection, entry, management and analysis for natural resources. TCOT strongly recommends that the turtle monitoring programmes. Given the importance of UK Government further contributes to marine biodiversity all natural resources in the network of Protected Areas, conservation and management in the UK Overseas and apparent poor compliance with the National Parks Territories through provision of funding and expertise Ordinance, TCOT recommends that an increased under the FCO/DfID Overseas Territories Environment capacity to effectively patrol the protected areas should Programme (OTEP), Defra’s Darwin Initiative and through be treated as a priority. the provision of bespoke scholarships for tertiary education in biodiversity/conservation related subjects for citizens of b) It is recommended that national and international funding the OTs. Additionally, much of the environmental legislation is sourced to support further capacity-building, as well in the OTs is in need of revision to facilitate the conservation as dedicated marine turtle population monitoring, turtle of marine turtles and their habitats, and therefore TCOT genetic sampling, turtle fishery monitoring and turtle strongly recommends that HMG provide the necessary conservation awareness and outreach programmes.