Loggerhead turtles are more likely to die at sea
LOGGERHEAD turtles that reproduce in the TRNC are more likely to die at sea than green turtles, new data has suggested.
Researchers from the Society for the Protection of Turtles (Spot) and their partner universities – the TRNC’s Eastern Mediterranean University and the UK’s University of Exeter – revealed in a new academic paper, published in the journal Animal Conservation, that deaths at sea are responsible for the slower increase in loggerhead nests. The deaths are “probably” the result of turtles of all ages becoming caught in commercial fishing nets.
A green turtle nest growth of 162 per cent was recorded at 28 beaches across North Cyprus from 1993 to 2019, while the rate of nest growth was only 46 per cent for loggerhead nests in the same period.
“Models suggest that loggerhead recovery is impeded by mortality at sea, probably because of bycatch in fisheries,” a Spot statement said.
“Thousands of turtles die in net fisheries around North Cyprus each year and urgent action is needed to address this.”
Spot say that turtles in this region used to be hunted for meat and their shells, but this is now banned throughout the Mediterranean.
Coupled with conservation of nesting beaches, this has allowed populations to recover but scientists say better protection at sea is still required, according to Spot.
Dr Damla Beton of Spot said: “Our other studies have found that many mature loggerheads die in fisheries when they visit North Cyprus to breed, as well as in foraging grounds across the region.
“So, it is not surprising that this mortality is reflected in the nesting trends.
“Better understanding of their movements and the fisheries threats they face could help inform conservation measures such as Marine Protected Areas. We encourage people to report cases of dead turtles to our 1188 hotline.”
Although green turtle numbers have recovered over the last three decades, the estimated population of adult green turtles in the Mediterranean is “just 3,400”, Spot stress, while their main breeding and foraging grounds “are restricted to a handful of sites”.
The Spot study was supported by the TRNC’s Environmental Protection Department.