A Disappearing Pacific Icon

Of the seven species of sea turtles, six are commonly found in the Pacific region. Three of these-the green, hawksbill and leatherback turtles-commonly breed and forage amongst the 21 Pacific island states and territories.

Today all the species that exist within this habitat are listed as endangered.

But it is a distinctive Pacific icon-the giant leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)-that is struggling to step back from what evidence suggests is the brink of oblivion.

Most of the region's turtles are found within a broad geographical spectrum that encompasses the seas and shorelines of Papua New Guinea, West Papua, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. But they are now disappearing in droves.

"Many Pacific islanders who have grown up on the coasts of these islands or atolls will have memories of the leatherback turtle that is a part of many of our island myths and folklore," says Job Opu, a Papua New Guinea marine conservationist.

"I suppose the worst case scenario here is watching a magnificent species become a casualty of our thoughtless neglect."

The vice president of the United States group Conservation International (CI), Roderic Mast, and president of the International Sea Turtle Society has told the BBC, "Sea turtles act as our warning mechanism for the health of the ocean, and what they're telling us is quite alarming."

Leatherback Turtle Photo: Courtesy SPREP

A recent CI study shows Pacific leather-back numbers have fallen 97 per cent in 22 years. Researchers believe that now only a handful of female leatherbacks return annually to nesting beaches along the Pacific coast, down from thousands just 20 years ago.

Culture, economics, changing demographics and greed have all contributed to this unfolding marine tragedy.

Pacific islanders kill turtles for their meat and eggs. The flavor of the meat is a combination of prime beef and young turkey, with the fat being even more appetizing. Eggs grow to the size of the average human palm and have outstanding nutritional value. At one time local handicraft industries prized the reptiles' shells for ornaments and jewelry, until that market was internationally outlawed.

Scientists from Drexel University and the Centre for Marine Conservation in the United States attribute the threat of extinction to commercial fishing, and the destruction of nesting areas. For decades, scores of turtles have been strangled or drowned after being caught up in fishing boat nets.

"The Pacific leatherbacks currently face an annual mortality rate of up to thirty per cent," says James Spotila, Professor of Environmental Science at Drexel university.

Without dramatic intervention we can expect to see them disappear in as soon as a decade."

While Dr. John Hampton, who manages the Oceanic Fisheries Programme for the Secretariat of the Pacific Community is sympathetic to the plight of the species, he questions the public perception of the fishing industry being largely to blame.

"Turtles are occasionally hooked by longline gear and the majority of these are released alive. Some mortalities however do occur, and in some fisheries, notably in Hawaii, gear modifications such as circle hooks have been used to effectively reduce the incidence of turtle interactions. The use of such gear is now being actively promoted in Pacific island longline fisheries."

Other modern home conveniences have contributed. Plastic bags mistaken for jellyfish, have caused turtles to choke. Poisoning by ingesting waste pollutants at sea is now common.

During a recent meeting between environmentalists and Melanesian community conservationists in the Solomon Islands, Dr. Ken MacKay, a regional marine expert with Canada's C-SPOD Programme, lauded efforts thus far, but wants even more persuasive measures to better protect nesting beaches and land rights.

"Local fishermen know that from October through to February are the main nesting times. It is so disappointing that those who raid the nesting sites choose not to take just some eggs and leave some for another day."

The realization that some local practices are now unsustainable has sparked initiatives in several Melanesian communities.

Along the Huon Coast of Papua New Guinea, eight communities have formed a network to address the almost 100 percent egg harvest of nesting turtles. Indonesia has pledged to help the leatherback turtles by creating a marine protected area in key Irian Jaya nesting beaches.

In parts of Vanuatu, monitoring and tagging has become a community effort to stem the tide of decline.

"What is needed by the communities is commitment from our leaders - community and government, as well as NGOs. This would add strength to what is happening on the ground," says Penina Solomona, Regional Marine Officer with World Wild Life Pacific Programme.

As is often the case with Pacific economies, a lack of funding continues to plague the determined efforts of those involved. So empirical research, for example within national environment departments and through village monitoring schemes, has been a mixture of the valid and the haphazard.

"Government agencies, NGOs, local communities and researchers have to work together to gather all available information on turtle nesting sites, migration routes, and foraging areas; as well as traditional knowledge on turtle conservation. We can then manage this precious individual better," says Anne Trevor, Turtle Database Officer at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

As cumbersome on land as they are majestic beneath the waters of the Pacific, the leatherbacks' fate now lies entirely in human hands.

"Literally everything lives or dies by what our communities know and understand and the ability of the powers that be to act," maintains Trevor.

"The margin for failure now is right about zero."

The writer is director of the Secretariat for the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, which is based in Apia, Samoa. See www.sprep.org.ws