Caption: A Turtle being
struck with a heavy stone, whilst the one in the background is already being prepared for dinner picture courtesy of www.causes.com by Tim Larner
By Wenceslaus Magun
Papua New Guinea is identified as first on the list
worldwide for being one of 10 countries accounting for more than 90% of legal
turtle takes each year.
The findings from a science journal show that since 1980, it
is estimated that more than 2 million turtles have been legally taken in these
countries with current levels of less than 60 per cent (<60%) of those in
the 1980s.
This alarming report has instigated the Coordinator for Mas
Kagin Tapani (MAKATA), Wences Magun to call for an emergency approach to be
taken by the PNG government to save the remaining population of the endangered
green (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricate) and critically
endangered leatherback (Demochelys coriacea) turtles which are at the brink of
extinction in the region.
“Out of 42 countries and territories that permit direct take
of turtle and collectively take in excess of 42,000 turtles per year, the
majority of which (>80%) are green turtles Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus 1758),
ten countries account for more than 90% of legal take each year with PNG
(36.1%) and Nicaragua (22.3%) accounting for more than half of the total global
take,” according to a Biodiversity Research journal titled – So excellent a
fishe: a global overview of legal marine turtle fisheries, F. Hunter el al,
2014.
The report concluded that mortality estimate through
recorded bycatch is significantly under recorded and far greater than the total
level of directed legal take. This hampers the ability to access the relative
impacts of these threats to marine turtles.
The report provides the most comprehensive global synthesis
of the legal take of turtles in recent years and suggests that legal take has
the potential to be a driver of marine turtles population dynamics, comparable
to mortality estimate through recorded bycatch.
This report calls for immediate actions to be taken to
address the plight of the sea turtles.
“We are calling on the National Fisheries Authority, the
Department of Environment and Conservation and lined agencies to take immediate
steps to address this issue by decreasing the number of legal turtle takes each
year or set a complete turtle take ban following this report,” Mr Magun said.
“We are deeply worried by this alarming report. As we
attempt to save critically endangeredturtles by working with local coastal
communities who share the beaches these turtles come to nest, major threats
caused by fishing companies through legal turtle take, defeats our endeavours
and mission,” he stressed.
He said, the critically endangered leatherback (Demochelys
coriacea) turtles, that travels 6,000 miles across national and international
waters from California and Gulf of Mexico and takes more than two years to
reach PNG to nest is at the brink of extinction with just 5% of the population
remaining.
“Efforts by the coastal communities to save and restore
their population may not be achieved if ongoing legal turtle take is not
reduced or banned totally in PNG waters,” Mr Magun reiterated.
He warned that industrial legal turtle take could also
contribute to loss of food, income, and extinction of cultural and spiritual
values held by certain indigenous tribal people in PNG in connection with the
turtles.
Coastal communities in Kimadi, Magubem, Tokain, Yadigam,
Mirap, Karkum, Sarang, in north coast and Mur, Lakol, Male and Bom-Sagar in Rai
Coast, Madang are taking steps to establish locally managed marine areas with
support from MAKATA to save these endangered turtles in PNG.
He warned that the legal turtle take and unrecorded turtle bycatch
will also defeat the initiative of the PNG, Solomon Islands and Jakarta for
signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2006 to conserve and manage the
western Pacific leatherback turtle nesting sites, feeding areas and migratory
routes in the three states.
