Marine Turtle Newsletter No. 33 May 1985 Editor: Nat B. Frazer Editorial Advisors: Marine Policy Center Peter C. H.Pritchard Woods Hole Oceanographic Anders G. J. Rhodin Institution Harold F. Hirth Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA N. Mrosovoky MTN BACK ISSUES NOW AVAILABLE The Chelonian Documentation Center has recently reprinted issues 1-30 (1976-1984) of the Marine Turtle Newsletter in a limited edition of 500 copies. Although individual issues are not available separately, the entire set may be ordered from the CDC for US $12.50 (Surface Mail included). Orders should be sent directly to: Chelonian Documentation Center, PO Box 125, 8700 AC Bolsward, Netherlands. CITES MEETING - BUENOS AIRES 1985: DECISIONS ON SEA TURTLES Suriname ranch: This proposal for ranching green turtles was considered at the 1983 Botswana meeting of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). At that time the biological aspects were approved overwhelmingly (43 to 3) but overall approval was withheld contingent on Suriname providing details about labelling of their ranched products (see 1983 MTN 25:6-9). This matter was referred to the Technical Committee; at the Brussels meeting of the Committee in 1984 the marking system was found acceptable in principle. It was considered desirable that Suriname showed the actual labels and documentation to the parties In Buenos Aires. However, in Buenos Aires the USA proposed that uniform marking schemes should be applied to products from ranches, with the first ranch approved for a given species providing the model to be followed. The USA proposals, which included additional safeguards, were adopted at Buenos Aires (25 to 14). This introduced a new element, in that countries proposing ranching had not come prepared to meet these new requirements, and it was considered arbitrary to base the model scheme on which proposal came up first in the agenda. In any event, Suriname, France and the UK (Cayman Islands) agreed to institute a uniform system and to follow the USA proposals. In the plenary session the Chairman limited debate to the marking scheme. Suriname requested a secret ballot. Some parties were not clear if they were voting just on the marking, or on the overall proposal, but since the biological aspects had already been approved in Botswana, it probably amounted to the same thing. There were 26 votes in favor, 22 against, and 15 abstentions. Since a two-thirds majority was required, the Suriname proposal was rejected. Réunion ranch: France's proposal to ranch green turtles was more straight- forward in that it was considered for the first time as a whole by the Plenary session. It was not approved. The votes cast in secret ballot were 25 in favor, 32 against, 7 abstentions. Cayman Islands (UK) proposals: This was another complex case because although the Cayman Turtle Farm (CTF) has not taken turtles from the wild since 1978, the request to trade was put in as a ranching proposal. The UK argued that the proposal met the ranching criteria, while others argued that since there was no local population being drawn from, or being benefitted by the ranch, it could not meet the ranching criteria. The proposal was rejected in a secret ballot (27 in favor, 32 against, 7 abstentions). However, a second vote then followed on a resolution put forward on the recommendation of the CITES Secretariat. The Secretariat's opinion was that the CTF should not be considered under the ranching criteria but in the format of a special resolution. The Secretariat stressed the unique aspect of the CTF, such as their stock being acquired prior to the definition of "bred in captivity," and the retrospective nature of legislation affecting the CTF. A further contentious point was that the special resolution would have only required a straight majority to pass. However, after a secret ballot it was defeated (26 in favor, 32 against, 4 abstentions, 1 invalid ballot). Indonesian greens and hawksbills: Indonesia proposed to downlist its green turtles from Appendix I to II of the Convention, with a quota of 2000 to be reached in stages over a number of years from a level of 10,000. The delegate said that 30,000 green turtles had been landed in 1984, but it was not clear how many of these entered trade. The proposal was rejected (2 in favor, 24 against). A similar proposal for hawksbills, with a quota starting at 1000 and falling to 500 was also rejected (3 in favor, 27 against). One factor in these votes was the widespread opinion that the Indonesian proposals provided insufficient information. Seychelles hawksbills: This proposal was to downlist the Seychelles hawksbills from Appendix I to II and permit trade with a quota of 100 animals. The Seychelles said they would comply with standardized marking systems, although they were not ranching. The proposal was rejected in a secret ballot (17 in favor, 33 against). Comment: This short account does not do justice to the complexity of CITES or to preconvention activities. Dissatisfaction was repeatedly voiced about the processes by which decisions were made, and the little time for discussion of scientific matters. There was a sharp division of opinion between those who saw these decisions as a sad day for CITES and as a rejection of turtle ranching as a viable tool for conservation, and those who felt that the conservation of sea turtles had been furthered by maintaining official restrictions on trade. But on one matter there was general agreement: this is not the end of a battle that has already consumed untold energy and money. N. MROSOVSKY, Depts. Zoology & Psychology, U. Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1, CANADA. GREEN TURTLE RESEARCH PROGRAM IN OGASAWARA Four species of marine turtles are known in the Ogasawara Islands: the green turtle, (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), loggerhead - 2 - (Caretta caretta) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea). Only green turtles breed in the Ogasawara Islands, one of the northernmost (latitude ca. 27ºN) rookeries of this species in the Western Pacific Ocean. Nesting commences during the middle of May, reaches its peak between late June and early July, and declines to a very low level by the middle of August. A few hawksbills, mostly juveniles, are also found around the islands. Loggerheads are captured incidentally by longline fishing vessels; they are rarely encountered around the islands. Leatherbacks seldom or never appear in the waters adjacent to the Ogasawara Islands. Around the year 1880, about 1,500 adult green turtles were caught by islanders annually. Since the 1920s, the Ogasawara population of green turtles has been much smaller. Nowadays, we can find at most only about 200 annual migrants. The experimental hatchery program was previously conducted by the Ogasawara Fisheries Center, Tokyo Metropolitan Government (1975-1981: 61,528 hatchlings released). In April, 1982, the Ogasawara Marine Center, Marine Environmental Association of Tokyo, was founded as a museum with the special objective of studying and conserving marine turtles. Therefore, the hatchery program was transferred to us. We have released 36,601 hatchlings over the past three years (Table 1). Table 1: Hatchery Statistics for 1982-1984, Ogasawara Marine Center. Year 1982 1983 1984 Number of Eggs Buried 13,265 13,953 27,878 Number of Hatchlings 7,247 11,596 21,594 Hatching Rate (54.6%) (83.1%) (77.5%) Number of Hatchlings Released 5,852 10,299 20,450 Eggs for the hatchery are collected from turtles that are held captive temporarily. These turtles are caught by fishermen during mating season (March-May), bought by the Ogasawara Public Office and kept in a pond with a fence enclosing an artificial nesting beach. After nesting, they are tagged with plastic tags and released. HIROYUKI SUGANUMA, Research Staff, Ogasawara Marine Center, Marine Environ- mental Association of Tokyo, P.O. Box 404, Chichi-jima, Ogasawara-mura, Tokyo 100-21, Japan OLIVE RIDLEYS OF HONDURAS The Gulf of Fonseca on the Pacific side of Honduras is shared with E1 Salvador and Nicaragua. Initial observations of the olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Honduras were made by Archie Carr in 1947 and by Peter Pritchard in 1967. Until 1975, with the start of the first beach hatchery project, no other work had been done. In 1959 the Honduran Fish Law was established. It is the first and only - 3 - law to protect sea turtles and their eggs from commercial use in Honduras, although a stricter law is now before the Congress. The Fish Law was not put into practice until 1975 when the first off-season for egg collecting was established on the "south" coast. Sea turtles are not sought after on the "south" coast of Honduras. The custom of eating turtle meat or using other turtle products from live turtles has not been established in that area. Turtles are occasionally caught in seine nets and released. Although the animals are not hunted, the eggs are highly prized. The report by Pritchard (1969) that "every night there were far more egg collectors than turtles on the beach" still holds true today. Nearly 100% of the nests are collected by local residents. Turtle eggs are considered an aphrodisiac throughout Honduras. They are customarily served as hors d’oeuvres with alcoholic drinks in bars and restaurants. Commonly, a raw egg is placed in a glass with a touch of lemon, salt, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. The laying season runs from July through December, although beach residents report that turtles lay throughout the rest of the year in sparse numbers. Each year except one since 1975, a two to three week off-season for egg collecting has been established by the Honduran Government Department of Renewable Natural Resources.