Agnese Mancini
Incidental Bycatch or Directed Harvest? Mortality Rates of Sea Turtles in Baja California Sur, Mexico
Agnese.
Evidences of illegal fishing.
Carapaces found in dump-sites.
With some students at the Alcatraz dump-site, looking for sea turtle carapaces. Involve people and explain the importance of our project is a fundamental part of our job.
| Town/Region | Country | Categories | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baja California Sur | Mexico | Central and Latin America, Fish, Turtles | 10 Mar 2006 |
The coastal waters of Baja California Sur (BCS), Mexico serve as feeding and developmental ground for five species of sea turtles: the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), the black turtle (Chelonia mydas agassizii), the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), the olive-ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) and the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Although sea turtles are protected in Mexican waters since 1990 by presidential decree, illegal and incidental fishing rates are still very high especially in the region of BCS, as turtle meat and eggs are still considered a delicacy in many areas, thus impeding population recovery.
Therefore, our project will address the following objectives:
- Assess minimum mortality rate per species per year and identify major mortality causes in the area of BCS over a period of two years.
- Identify high risk areas and determine the protection category to be assigned to the different study sites.
- Engage with relevant stakeholders, increase awareness and assess potential social impact of sea turtle fishery policy.
- This one-year project constitutes a pilot study for a PhD thesis to standardize the data collection method, the interview process and to find the best way to analyze results.
This project is designed to obtain information on minimum sea turtle mortality rates, quantify the ratio between juveniles and adults in the catch, identify the species which are most affected, and point out areas, seasons and fishing gear that most affect sea turtle populations. The information collected through the interviews will allow us to 1) identify stakeholders, 2) determine cultural and economic importance of sea turtles in the local communities, and 3) identify whether there exist correlations between sea turtle fishing/consumption and the socio-economic situation and education of the local population.
This information, which is unavailable at present, is critical for the development of a new strategy for the conservation of sea turtles. Thus we hope to provide a useful tool that could be used by the administrators in the decision making process and help this way with the protection of these animals in the state of Baja California Sur.
For more information, contact: agnese@uabcs.mx