Endangered Species
In the Mozambique Channel, expansion of traditional subsistence turtle fisheries to supply commercial markets threatens the future of three species of marine turtle in the region.
Blue Ventures manage the largest shark and turtle fishery research programmes in the Indian Ocean region, supporting communities and governments in developing strategies for sustainable management of these keystone species.
"In recent years, there has been growing recognition of the importance of the contribution of artisanal fisheries to sea turtle bycatch. Blue Ventures has done much more than just talk about the problem -- it has undertaken systematic monitoring and socio-economic assessments that have made a valuable contribution to our understanding of its scope.
Blue Ventures has also recognised the importance of working with all stakeholders to help promote a more cooperative and collaborative approach to sea turtle conservation in Madagascar. It played a critical role in the organisation of a first-ever national workshop organised in Antananarivo in February 2011, under the auspices of the IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU."
Douglas Hykle, Co-ordinator, IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU Secretariat, UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
“The exploitation of marine turtles by the south western coastal peoples of Madagascar is a binding thread in the fabric of their society. It is driven not by exploitative greed but absolute necessity as the coastal people have no other resources but those which are provided by the sea. In the past the apparently limitless bounty available matched comfortably the numbers of people dependant on it but times are changing as human populations grow. Happily a large proportion of the marine turtles frequenting Malgache waters are drawn from rookeries that are carefully conserved by neighbouring countries and it has been well demonstrated that sound husbandry and careful conservation, especially of sea turtles, can lead to this particular resource being sustainably usable on a permanent basis.
Blue Ventures is deeply involved in convincing the Vezo and Sakalava peoples that careful husbandry, protection of nests and selective harvesting, with window periods for such harvesting, are tools that can make this traditional and invaluable resource a permanent one. This is no easy task but requires patience, persistence and the creation of permanent and trusting relations with a very conservative and suspicious set of communities. It is an admirable and useful endeavour which will result in benefits for both a needy society and the long term survival of marine turtles. I find their programmes impressive indeed.”
Dr George Hughes, IOSEA Technical Advisor
