WWF bats for modified longline fishing method to save sea turtles

A global conservation organization is batting for a modified longline fishing method to catch tuna and swordfish in some parts of the country to protect sea turtles, which are accidentally caught using the old practice.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said six countries, including the Philippines, will be implementing an ambitious conservation move that aims to reduce marine turtle by-catch in the Pacific.

Citing the IUCN-World Conservation Union Red List, Louella Beltran, WWF-Philippines media officer, said sea turtles, like all species susceptible to predation, have always been exposed to danger from the nesting beach until they reach the sea.

Beltran said increased human presence on nesting grounds and unsustainable fishing might lead to the extinction of six of the seven sea turtle species.

Although longline fishing is one of the least damaging commercial fishing methods, Beltran said such a practice could still catch small numbers of by-catch species that are endangered and protected under various laws.

"Longline fisheries are important to coastal economies and communities, providing significant income and protein to many people. If we are to ensure the continued survival of these turtles, we must work to transform these fisheries and make longline fishing more turtle-friendly," Beltran said.

According to the WWF, fishing trials are being carried out in Indonesia, New Caledonia, Peru, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands to better gauge the effects of the conservation effort being carried out through a grant from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Recent research conducted in the North Atlantic Ocean has confirmed that turtle by-catch through longline fishing can be dramatically reduced by as much as 90 percent by innovating the gear.

According to the WWF, one way of modifying the fishing gear is to simply set the longline deep.

The WWF said the shallow part of the sea or the "mixed layer" is where sea turtles and most endangered species are found.

By setting the longline deeper than 100 meters and out of the mixed layer, turtles cannot reach the baits.

The WWF said this method, as studies have shown, even increases target catch and profit because most longline tuna is caught 120 meters to 340 meters deep in the sea.

In General Santos City, the country’s major tuna producer and host to some 3,000 handline boats, the WWF introduced the use of C-hooks instead of J-hooks in fishing.

The WWF said traditional fishers use the handline fishing method to catch high-value yellow fin and big-eyed tuna.

Joel Palma, WWF-Philippines assistant vice president for field operations, said handline fishing is basically hook-and-line fishing that is labor-intensive and generates jobs for over 3,000 outrigger boats fishing in the Philippine and Indonesian waters.

"Circle hooks are less fatal when ingested and reduce the probability of entanglement," Palma said.

"C-hooks also lower the chances of turtle mortality without compromising the livelihood of fishermen," he added.

The WWF-Philippines recently met with three operators in General Santos City who are willing to try using C-hooks instead of the J-hooks.

"The WWF hopes that these new gear and techniques will encourage fishermen to think about the by-catch problem and encourage them to come up with their own solutions for reducing the catch of turtles and implement the use of releasing equipment and techniques," Beltran said.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said there are only seven species of marine turtles known to exist in the world. Of these, five species are frequently encountered in Philippine waters.

The government has tagged 13,896 turtles of varying sizes from the legions of turtles visiting the country’s waters, indicating that the Philippine seas are a hospitable setting for the sea turtles’ life cycle.

However, the DENR admitted that much still has to be done to conserve marine turtles.

According to the Pawikan Conservation Project (PCP), the five species of marine turtles known to thrive in the country are the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill turtle (Eremochelys imbricate), olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), and leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea).

The Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) said there are several areas in the country considered as nesting habitats of marine turtles.

These are Turtle Islands in Tawi-Tawi, a declared wildlife sanctuary and haven of nesting green turtles; the beaches of Zambales, Bataan, Ilocos Sur, and Batangas, which are frequented by olive ridley turtles; and Punta Dumalag in Davao City, Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte, El Niño and Tubbataha Reef National Park in Palawan, Apo Reef in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, and Magsaysay, Misamis Oriental, which are nesting places of hawksbill turtles.

In 2001, the Philippines signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with 20 other countries in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia in line with the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

The MOU seeks to unite all signatory states to work for the conservation and replenishment of the depleting marine turtle populations.

The Wildlife Protection Act (Republic Act 9147) prohibits the hunting, killing, and collection of marine turtles and their by-products.

Violators face a fine ranging from P100,000 to P1 million and/or a jail term of six to 12 years.

The DENR-PAWB has declared 2006 as the Year of the Marine Turtle.