Andra Wisnu, The Jakarta Post 19 Aug 08;
Roughly 4,900 sea turtles die each year in Indonesian waters, prompting the need for a wider campaign to preserve this endangered amphibious species.
In a workshop on by-catch reduction techniques for sea turtles at the Sanur Plaza Hotel here on Monday, experts agreed that the sea turtle population was declining.
"In all the sea turtle habitats and sanctuaries I've visited, I've seen less and less sea turtles coming onto the beaches," said Ngurah Wiadnyana, a researcher from the Research Center for Captured Fisheries, at the Ministry of Maritime and Fisheries.
"This signals the qualitative destruction of the sea turtle habitat, be it by pollution or beach degradation."
Sea turtles are an endangered species, protected by Indonesian law. The law protects six species of sea turtles, the hawkbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), green turtle (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead turtle (Carretta Carretta) and the flatback sea turtle (Natator depressus).
How safe these turtles are remains in question, as sea turtles are still considered a delicacy in some parts of Indonesia, while many indigenous people in the country still poach sea turtles for ritualistic purposes, Wiadnyana said.
Wiadnyana found that in the 1980s, the number of sea turtles laying eggs on sea turtle islands off West Sumatra, could reach more than 200 per day with a single turtle laying up to 200 eggs. Now, only three sea turtles can be seen laying eggs per day on these same islands.
He said another factor affecting the sea turtle population was the fishing industry.
According to him, at least 70 percent of fishing boats sailing on a 40-day trip accidentally catch at least one sea turtle.
"Usually fishermen release sea turtles, because it's considered bad luck to keep them, but they tend to release them without taking out the hooks that caught them," he said.
He urged the government to increase funding for the preservation of sea turtles and to start a nationwide campaign to protect sea turtles.
"One of the methods for adoption is to introduce a widespread campaign for fishermen to use a circle hook," he said.
The circle hook, introduced and subsidized by the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) for the Indonesian fishing industry since 2006, is larger than conventional hooks, preventing it from being accidentally swallowed by sea turtles.
Arif Satria, the director of research and strategic planning from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, said government regulations had failed to reduce sea turtle trafficking.
He said the government needed to take stricter measures against sea turtle traffickers and to develop an international network with neighboring countries, given the fact that sea turtles tended to migrate to international waters.
