Marine Turtles
The fate of marine turtles is uncertain as the market for their products like meat and eggs, commercial fishing and urban development pushes these endangered creatures to the edge of extinction. Of the 4 species of marine turtle found nesting on Malaysian beaches, the last 50 years has seen a dramatic drop in all their numbers, with nests declining by 80% for the Green Turtle, 90% for the Hawksbill, 95% for the Olive Ridley and 99% for the Leatherback.
The Marine Turtle Products Market:
Whether for their eggs, meat or shells, the hunting of all the world's marine turtles has been a long running practice. Marine turtles caught for consumption are often kept tied up on their backs, alive for days to be shipped round the world, keeping them fresh for the slaughter. Marine turtle eggs are considered a good source of protein and an aphrodisiac by some and it is still legal in some countries to eat eggs. In Malaysia egg cosumption is legal in most areas but is illegal in Sabah and in Marine park but poaching in these areas still continues. Pre-1980, 100% of eggs were poached from nests in Malaysia for human consumption. This is where the marine turtle volunteers come in here on the Perhentian islands, protecting the nests on the beach at Bubbles from the poachers.
Commercial Fishing
In the last 50 years, fishing has unintentionally been the largest cause of marine turtle mortality.
Shrimp trawlers are the biggest threat to marine turtles, with 95% of turtles caught in fishing nets downing. They will drown if it cannot get to the surface within 40 minutes. It only costs US$300 to install a Turtle Excluder Devise (TED) that allows the trapped turtle out a gate, but this is still not a standard. The TED reduces turtle mortality by half and unwanted fish mortality up to 70%. Before this, in the US alone 50,000 Loggerheads died each year in nets. The Department of Fisheries are currently introducing TED's to the fishermen of Terengganu, Malaysia.The 2nd biggest threat is floating mesh gill nets - designed to catch fish but they end up killing everything that swims into them. The devisation caused by large offshore gill nets had been realised and they are now banned. However illegal gill nets still operate and coastal ones are still legal. It is possible to gill net fish without killing marine turtles if the nets are tended to hourly to free drowning turtles - this however costs more so is rarely practiced. To save marine turtles it may be necesery to start paying more for 'turtle friendly' fish.
Longline fishing is the 3rd biggest killer of marine turtles. As with the gill nets, designed to catch fish, these fishing lines with baited hooks miles in length will kill every creature in their path. If longline fishing is allowed to continue it will probably bring about the extinction of Leatherbacks in the near future.
To prevent these unintended killings of marine turtles, larger portions of the oceans need to become protected and monitored marine reserves to give marine turtle populations a chance to rebuild their dwindling numbers.
Tourism and Development
Marine turtles need natural beaches to nest, but these are being destroyed through development. Barriers (sea walls etc) are preventing marine turtles finding the ideal nesting spots. Insted nests are being layed in vulnerable spots closer to high tide (where the eggs will drown) or turtles are not laying at all. Lighting deters nesting females and disorientates hatchlings who are naturally drawn to light (normally the light of the horizon). This leads them away from the sea, significantly reducing their survival chances. Measures can be implimented to help marine turtles and humans live along side each other -dimmed or no seaward facing lights, leaving beaches as natural as possible and keeping the beach uninhabited at night - here at Bubbles we are proving that eco-tourism works if these measures are followed as we have Green turtles nesting on our beach - no nesting turtles have been disturbed for many years and the numbers of nests each year are stable compared to other beaches in the Perhentian Islands.
The odds look bad for sea turtles as they face the huge challenges humans pose to them. But its not too late to change their unpromising fate - extinction is not inevitable if we act now!Help marine turtles today so your children get the chance to see them.
Read more about marine conservation on the following pages
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This site is designed and managed by Peisee Hwang. Any comment or suggestion please write to peisee@bubblesdc.com
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