Organization - 1 Where:Where: –Go to the fishers and their community –Close to landing areas, co-ops centers When:When: –Time of day fit to their routine.

Organization - 1Organization - 1

• Where:Where:– Go to the fishers and their communityGo to the fishers and their community– Close to landing areas, co-ops centersClose to landing areas, co-ops centers

• When:When:– Time of day fit to their routine.Time of day fit to their routine.

• (night may facilitate projection, but (night may facilitate projection, but fatigue)fatigue)

– Match fishing season Match fishing season

Organization - 2Organization - 2

• ContactsContacts– Government: Fisheries, Environment, Government: Fisheries, Environment,

etc.etc.– Reach those that are in contact Reach those that are in contact

with fisherswith fishers– Avoid those in “police roles”Avoid those in “police roles”

– IndustryIndustry– Leadership of all sectors Leadership of all sectors

(individuals, Chambers)(individuals, Chambers)– Local leadership (co-ops, etc.)Local leadership (co-ops, etc.)

OrganizationOrganization – 2 (cont.)– 2 (cont.)

• Environmental community, Environmental community, ecologistsecologists– Identify sensible onesIdentify sensible ones– Identify common objectivesIdentify common objectives

• Develop partnerships across all Develop partnerships across all sectorssectors

• Build trust and credibility in the Build trust and credibility in the teamteam

Organization - 3Organization - 3

• Displays and props– Sea turtle and fish posters– Maps of region, oceanography,

bathymetry– Hook photos or displays– Dehookers and other equipment– Photos from worhshops in nearby or

same community

Organization - 4

• Duration:– The shortest you can without rushing

or cutting material that makes explanations more difficult

– Take time to explain more difficult figures, plots, charts; they will understand

– Don’t waste time with subjects that are of scientific interest but irrelevant to them

Organization - 5Organization - 5

• Contents:Contents:– Who are youWho are you– Why are you there: the turtles have a Why are you there: the turtles have a

problemproblem– Why is that the fishers’ problemWhy is that the fishers’ problem– There is a solution, but not much timeThere is a solution, but not much time– Only if they all pull together they can Only if they all pull together they can

succedsucced– And this is how you do itAnd this is how you do it

SUBSECRETARÍA DE RECURSOS PESQUEROS

Con apoyo técnico de:Con apoyo técnico de:

Martin Hall - Comisión InterAmericana del Martin Hall - Comisión InterAmericana del Atún TropicalAtún Tropical

John Mitchell, Charles Bergman y Yonat John Mitchell, Charles Bergman y Yonat Swimmer - Administración Oceánica y Swimmer - Administración Oceánica y

Atmosférica Nacional de los EEUU Atmosférica Nacional de los EEUU (Pesquerías) (Pesquerías)

María José Barragán - Alianza Jatun María José Barragán - Alianza Jatun Sacha/CDC EcuadorSacha/CDC Ecuador

blanca o golfinablanca o golfina

7 quillas o laúd

carey

negra

cabezona o caguama

palangrepalangre

arrastrearrastre

Cerca de 800 Cerca de 800 asistentesasistentes

There is a large effort in the regionThere is a large effort in the region

Scientists worriedScientists worried

The public learns and respondsThe public learns and responds

… … pressurepressure buildsbuilds

What to do to save the turtles ?What to do to save the turtles ?

Los abajo firmantes hacemos un llamado a las Naciones Unidas, a los Estados Unidos y a otras

naciones para que declarenuna moratoria a la pesquería de palangre pelágico del Pacífico, a la de enmalle, y a otras técnicas de pesca que causan mortalidad de tortugas laúd, hasta

tanto esas actividades se puedan llevar a cabo sin dañar a la especie

……………………………………………………………………………..

Pedido de moratoria a las Naciones Unidas

Shut down the fisheriesShut down the fisheries

or stop purchases of species or stop purchases of species

that drive longline fisheriesthat drive longline fisheries

(mahi-mahi, tunas, swordfish) (mahi-mahi, tunas, swordfish)

Número de nidos de tortuga laúd en la Playa MexiquilloNúmero de nidos de tortuga laúd en la Playa Mexiquillo

The evidence is very solidThe evidence is very solid

Sarti et. al. (1996,2000,2002)

Número de hembras anidando enNúmero de hembras anidando en Parque Nacional Las Baulas, Costa RicaParque Nacional Las Baulas, Costa Rica

From Spotila, Paladino and Reina

6902/03

The scoreboard

Número de nidos de tortuga laúd Número de nidos de tortuga laúd en Terengganu, Malasiaen Terengganu, Malasia

Tortugas Laúd Tortugas Laúd Número de Hembras adultasNúmero de Hembras adultas

Todo el PacíficoTodo el Pacífico

19801980 91,00091,000

19951995 6,5006,500

20002000 3,4903,490

Pacífico Pacífico OrientalOriental

19951995 4,6384,638

20002000 1,6901,690

Playa Grande leatherbacks

0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.800.901.00

1 11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81 91

Years from now

Pro

babi

lity

of e

xtin

ctio

nPreliminary results – extinction risk analysis using methods of Dennis et al. (1990) and Holmes (2002 and in press). Crowder et al., in prep.

Mexiquillo leatherbacks

0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.800.901.00

1 11 21 31 41 51 61 71 81 91

Years from now

Pro

ba

bili

ty o

f e

xtin

ctio

n

Probabilidad de extinción

Tortuga laúd de Playa Grande, Costa Rica

Tortuga laúd de Mexiquillo, MexicoAños en el futuro

Años en el futuro

There is not a lot of There is not a lot of timetime to find a solution to find a solution

Leatherback Turtle• The largest turtle- 900 kg, over 2

m long

• It migrates from Mexico to Chile and from Malaysia to California

• The deepest diving animal (to 1000 m, as deep as a whale)

¿Está la tortuga laúd en¿Está la tortuga laúd enpeligro de extinción?peligro de extinción?

LaLaúd = Baula = 7 cuerosúd = Baula = 7 cuerosLocal names: 3 cueros, 7 filos, 3 filos, tinglada, Local names: 3 cueros, 7 filos, 3 filos, tinglada,

gigante, garapacho, etc.gigante, garapacho, etc.

Irian Jaya, Indonesia

Costa Rica

Colombia

Ecuador

Mexico

New Caledonia

New Zealand

Malaysia

Papua New

Guinea

Vanuatu

Indonesia

Fiji

Australia

Northern Mariana Islands

Fed. States of Micronesia

Palau Islands

GuamPhilippines

Taiwan

Chile

Peru

JapanSouth KoreaNorth Korea

United States

Canada

Russian Federation

China

Mongolia

40°S

110°E

30°S

10°S

20°S

0°N

10°N

160°W

90°W

100°W

110°W

120°W

130°W

140°W

150°W

170°W

180°E

170°E

160°E

150°E

140°E

130°E

120°E

20°N

70°W

80°W

40°N

30°N

60°N

50°N

70°N Dutton, Eckert & Benson (unpublished)

What do they have to do with the problem What do they have to do with the problem since the turtles nest in other countries?since the turtles nest in other countries?

Leatherback migrations(Dutton et al., unpublished data; Eckert & Sarti 1999 and unpublished)

Leatherbacks Loggerheads Drifting Dead

Month (number)

IATTC – observ. - CIATIATTC – observ. - CIAT

1990 - 20021990 - 2002

We don’t have a clear cause of death, and we know We don’t have a clear cause of death, and we know

there are other sourcesthere are other sources of mortalityof mortality

Black turtle

Drifting Dead

Month (number)

IATTC – observ. - CIATIATTC – observ. - CIAT

1990 - 20021990 - 2002

Olive ridleyDrifting Dead

Month

IATTC – observ. - CIATIATTC – observ. - CIAT

1990 - 20021990 - 2002

Capture rates 0.03 turtles/1,000 hooks

(range 0.02-0.04)

0.75 turtles/year0.75 turtles/year if they fish 100 hooks/night, 5 nights/week, 50 weeks/year

It is difficult for individual fishers to It is difficult for individual fishers to perceive the problemperceive the problem

30 million swordfish hooks 30 million swordfish hooks 650 million tuna hooks650 million tuna hooks

(Lewison et al., in review)(Lewison et al., in review)

Very important points

But But we knowwe know some are killed in the some are killed in the fisheries, (infisheries, (in most most fisheries)fisheries)

If somebody else is killing more turtles it If somebody else is killing more turtles it doesn’t help you to get off the hook doesn’t help you to get off the hook

Don’t waste time, and energy blaming Don’t waste time, and energy blaming othersothers

Deal with your share of the problem, and Deal with your share of the problem, and then ..then ..

• HELP the others with problems to HELP the others with problems to deal with them; deal with them;

• or, push the government to or, push the government to address the issuesaddress the issues

• You (the fishing community) You (the fishing community) should become involved in should become involved in addressing other sources of addressing other sources of mortality (e.g. for consumption or mortality (e.g. for consumption or sale, or caused by ingestion of sale, or caused by ingestion of plastics, etc.) …. because ………….plastics, etc.) …. because ………….

THE ONLY WAY OUT IS TO CHANGE THE SCORE IN THE SCOREBOARD

(the number of females nesting)(the number of females nesting)

- people can talk about things, make - people can talk about things, make promises, and then do nothingpromises, and then do nothing

- at sea you are mostly by yourself, and - at sea you are mostly by yourself, and nobody is checking what you donobody is checking what you do

But if the turtles keep declining you are But if the turtles keep declining you are donedone..

Even if you are doing everything you Even if you are doing everything you can,can,

You still need the others to do their You still need the others to do their share too;share too;

It is not It is not theirtheir problem; it is still problem; it is still youryour problem. problem.

– YOU ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, AND YOU ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, AND YOU NEED TO PULL TOGETHER YOU NEED TO PULL TOGETHER

Cabezona

Verde Laúd

Nidos en Refugio Carr,

Florida 1982-1998

Ehrhart, 1999Ehrhart, 1999

But in other places, where the turtles have beenBut in other places, where the turtles have been

protected,protected, they are recovering. they are recovering. It can be doneIt can be done..

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

%

Percent of captured turtles incidentally killed in all setsPorcentaje de tortugas capturadas muertas

incidentalmente en todos los lances

NOAA Fisheries – Pascagoula, Lab

John WatsonJohn Watson(in spirit)(in spirit)

Charlie Charlie BergmanBergman

)

Yonat SwimmerYonat Swimmer

NOAA Fisheries – Hawaii Lab

IATTCIATTC

John Mitchell

SRP ProbEcuadorSRP ProbEcuador

MarMaría J. Barragánía J. Barragán

Fund. Jatun SachaFund. Jatun Sacha

Ing. Luis TorresIng. Luis Torres

SRP ProbEcuadorSRP ProbEcuador

Interactions with the whole communityInteractions with the whole community