December - 1999 ISBN 983-9114-10-7 MARINE FISHERY RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT OF SEAFDEC KUALA TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA SEAFDEC MFRDMD/RM/6 REPORT OF THE SEAFDEC - ASEAN REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT MARINE FISHERY RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT (MFRDMD) SOUTHEAST ASIAN FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SEAFDEC) KUALA TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA 26-28 JULY, 1999 PREFACE TURTLE - OUR REGIONAL HERITAGE! Sea turtles are long living, highly migratory reptiles that range the tropical and sub­ polar oceans worldwide. They are currently considered as endangered species due to excessive egg harvesting, killing of nesting females, and incidental catch by fishing gear. Of the seven living turtle species found around the globe, six are known to reside in Southeast Asia, making parts of the region as some of the most productive turtle rookeries in the world. One species, the flatback turtle (Natator depressus), is now known to be restricted primarily to eastern Indonesia and parts of Australia. Turtles nest on sandy beaches, the female going to the same beach multiple times in a single nesting season to bury a clutch of eggs, then does not return for two to three years. Their post-nesting migration to distantly separated feeding grounds, often passing through territorial and international waters of different countries, is of grave concern to the conservationist, emphasizing the need for some regional and interna­ tional cooperation between the countries. With the importance of conserving the sea turtles for future generations in mind, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on ASEAN Sea Turtle Conservation and Pro­ tection was signed on 12 September 1997 by the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) in Bangkok. ASEAN member countries recognized the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) as the competent technical regional organization on marine issues in the ASEAN region and fostered close cooperation and collaboration with the organization in undertaking their sea turtle conservation and protection programs. Subsequently, SEAFDEC and ASEAN met at the First Meeting of the ASEAN- SEAFDEC Fisheries Consultative Group (FCG) on 4 March 1999. The FCG agreed upon three programs for implementation under the FCG collaborative mechanism. Conservation and management of sea turtle in Southeast Asian countries was one of them. Both the SEAFDEC Council and the Senior Officials meeting of the AMAF have endorsed the proposed program on sea turtle conservation and management, and the convening of this Workshop forms a first-step activity to provide a platform for marine turtle scientists and managers of SEAFDEC and ASEAN Member Countries to meet and exchange experiences and information on the current status and future directions of research, conservation and management of sea turtles. REPORT OF THE SEAFDEC - ASEAN REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT MARINE FISHERY RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT (MFRDMD) SOUTHEAST ASIAN FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SEAFDEC) KUALA TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA 26-28 JULY, 1999 Reported by: Mohd Taupek Mohd Nasir SEAFDEC/MFRDMD, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. Abdul Khalil Abdul Karim Mersing Marine Park Center, Mersing, Johor, Malaysia. Mohd Najib Ramli Department of Fisheries, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. SEAFDEC - ASEAN REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT 26 - 28 July 1999 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. REPORT OF THE SEAFDEC-ASEAN Regional Workshop on Sea Turtle Conservation and Management 26-28 July 1999, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia National Library of Malaysia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data SEAFDEC - ASEAN Regional Workshop on Sea Turtle Conservation and Management (1999: Kuala Terengganu) Report of the SEAFDEC - ASEAN regional workshop on sea turtle conservation and management / Marine Fishery Resources Development and Management Department of SEAFDEC. ISBN 983-9114-10-7 1. Sea turtles--Protection--Congresses. 2. Wildlife conservation--Congresses. 3. Endangered species-- Congresses. I. Title. 597.92 Marine Fishery Resources Development and Management Department Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Fisheries Garden, Chendering 21080 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. Tel: 6(09)-6175135 Fax: 6(09)-6175136 E-mail: [email protected] http://agrolink.moa.my/dof/seafdec Copyright © 1999 Marine Fishery Resources Development And Management Department (MFRDMD) Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from the Copyright owner. ISBN 983-9114-10-7 FOREWORD Southeast Asia holds a strong appeal to a myriad variety of sea creatures and one of the most important of these is the sea turtle. The region produces six of the seven living turtle species found worldwide in rookeries now renowned as some of the most productive in the world. In a world of diminishing natural heritage caused, in some cases, by man-made pollution and overexploitation for commercial reasons, any effort to conserve the sea turtle - our unique regional heritage - from total annihilation is a virtuous idea that should be supported by all parties. Some conservation efforts have been made in the past by various authorities in the region to protect the sea turtle, but the continual dwindling in the turtle population of the area indicates clearly that more stringent custodial efforts are needed. SEAFDEC MFRDMD is proud to be a part of these on-going conservation efforts. The convening of the SEAFDEC-ASEAN Regional Workshop on Sea Turtle Conservation and Management attests to this fact. By assembling this group of turtle experts and conser­ vationists that exist in the region, we hope a greater awareness concerning the turtle plight might be made available to the general public. Indeed, the greatest tribute to us from our future generations must surely lie in our own concerted humane efforts to successfully conserve these noble creatures for their enjoyment for all time. Ismail Taufid Md. Yusoff Chief, Marine Fishery Resources Development And Management Department Kuala Terengganu Malaysia CONTENTS Page Report of the SEAFDEC-ASEAN Regional Workshop on Sea Turtle Conservation and Management 1 List of Delegates................................................................................................................................... 17 Remarks by: - Y. Bhg. Dato’ Mohd Mazlan Jusoh....................................................................................... 29 - Dr. Azmi Mat Akhir............................................................................................................... 33 - Dr. Yasuhisa Kato.................................................................................................................. 37 Program Agenda................................................................................................................................... 41 Marine Turtle Population and Conservation in The Southeast Asia Region.................................... 46 COUNTRY STATUS REPORT The Management and Conservation of Marine Turtle in Brunei Darussalam.................................. 64 Status of Sea Turtle in Cambodia........................................................................................................ 72 Marine Turtle Research, Management and Conservation in Indonesia.......................................... 78 Sea Turtle Conservation and Management in Japan......................................................................... 108 Marine Turtle Management, Conservation and Protection Programme in Malaysia..................... 122 Sea Turtle Conservation and Protection Activities in Myanmar...................................................... 134 Research, Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles in The Philippines.......................... 146 Status of Sea Turtle Conservation and Research in Thailand.......................................................... 160 Research, Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles in Vietnam....................................... 178 TECHNICAL REPORT ASEAN Sea Turtle Conservation and Management Programme and Collaboration with SEAFDEC 191 The Implementation on The Use of TEDs and Current Research in Southeast Asia .................... 201 Regional Marine Turtle Tagging and Statistics in Southeast Asia................................................... 215 Research, Conservation and Educational Activities of The Sea Turtle Research Unit (SEATRU)............................................................................................................................................. 235 Population Genetics of Sea Turtle in Southeast A sia........................................................................ 245 Physical Mechanism on The ASEAN Sea Turtle Researcher Network.......................................... 253 NGO’s Involvement in Sea Turtle Conservation and Management in The ASEAN Region......... 261 FIVE-YEAR PROGRAM PROPOSAL FOR REGIONAL SEA TURTLE RESEARCH, CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT Vietnam ................................................................................................................................................. 269 Thailand...............................................................................................................................................