International Seafood Sustainability Foundation |
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Artisanal fisheries in Peru have been shown to be an important source of bycatch mortality for marine turtles. Studies conducted during the past several years have identified gillnet fisheries in northern Peru primarily impacting leatherbacks, longline gear primarily loggerheards, bottom set nets primarily green turtles and monofilament gillnets, hawksbills (Alfaro-Shigueto et al. 2007, in press). In many cases, these turtles are still alive and if first aid is promptly administered, they could be saved and successfully released.
A variety of existing solutions to reduce bycatch are in place or being tried in many fisheries. Some of these approaches include educational programs to fishers, incentives, non-binding measures, and even drastic measures such as embargos and fishery closures. However, for Small Scale Fisheries (SSF), solutions are not widely implemented and are typically voluntary since most of these fisheries are unregulated. ProDelphinus implemented a real time fleet communication program, targeting vessel captains while at sea and also distributed mitigation tools to help reduce entangling marine turtle entanglements in fishing gear.
The goals of the proposed activities are to (1) maintain the HF radio broadcasts and the established network of fishermen working in turtle conservation, and (2) provide captains with the necessary equipment to safely release turtles at ports that show a high incidence of turtle bycatch. To maximize the fishing audience of this ‘conservation radio’, broadcasts will provide listening incentives such as weather advisories, current events, and real time information on turtle “hotspots” to be avoided. The broadcasts will act as a real time answering service for questions from vessel captains regarding sea turtle interactions and safe handling and release techniques.
Radio Conservation
They expanded this project from approximately five communications per month, up to approximately 50 per month. Ports that have been engaged in the project now number nineteen and extend from Manta, Ecuador in the north to Iquique,Chile in the south, a distance of over 2,500 km.
A total of 777 communications have been obtained, engaging ca. 300 separate fishing vessels. An estimated 2,800 fishers have been reached through the program. A high percentage of these communications have been with small scale longline vessels (79.3%), followed by gillnetters (17.4%), Humboldt squid jiggers (2.1%), and a small number of purse seiners and trawlers (<1.5%), thus showing that the project is an excellent means to contact the Peruvian longline fleet which is the fastest growing sector within the country’s small scale fisheries.
Impact on Turtles Released
The number of turtles reported released alive is ca. 1532 individuals green, loggerhead, leatherbacks and olive ridley turtles.
Workshops at Ports
To reinforce the impact of the Radio Conservation program, ProDelphinus conducted workshops at several ports on the use of safe handling and release procedures for sea turtles. These workshops were conducted in the ports of San Jose, Salaverry and Ilo, where small scale fisheries expand dramatically during the summer months (December-May). This is also a time of year when sea turtles frequently get entangled or hooked.
As a part of this project, they have also begun the manufacture and distribution of net line cutters. These tools, which have been distributed during our workshops or directly to fishermen during port visits, help ease the process of safely freeing entangled turtles from nets.
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International Seafood Sustainability Foundation
