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Continue this process for 2-3 years in case the first year was atypical. It may be possible later to only observe the traps with the greatest turtle bycatch. In which case an educational programme should be implemented for fishermen, so that their incidental turtle catch is also included and reported. Determine the recapture frequency of tagged turtles and record any incremental growth data.
The presence of so many traps (12) in Gjiri i Drinit means that the bycatch level for turtles is likely to be high. If peak capture in a trap is 30-40 turtles per day, even in just two or three traps, that represents about 100 turtles per day. When the extensive trawling in Gjiri i Drinit is also considered, and any bycatch from coastal nets, the impact of fisheries on endangered turtles in this small sea area is going to be substantial. There is however, one mitigating factor: turtles trapped in stavnike are not usually dead. There is room for turtles to swim around in the traps and, most importantly, they can surface to breathe. In contrast, if a trawl soak lasts for longer than about 50 minutes, many turtles in the net may drown.
ii. Trawling Shallow water trawls captured a substantial number of loggerheads in Gjiri i Drinit (520 were reported from just three fishermen in 2005). One trawlerman stated that he was catching 1-2 per soak (a 3-4 hour trawl) in November and December i.e. about 160 per month (assuming he fishes for 15 days per month).
iii. Longlines The dead loggerhead at Kepi i Rodonit had drowned following its capture on a static longline. The line was set at a depth of >30m and the turtle was hooked eating the bait. Unfortunately the lines were left for a week, because bad weather prevented their recovery; the fisherman cut the line and let the carcass go. Some important data were determined: The turtle had been tagged by Idriz Haxhiu at Patok (13th July 2004). At tagging its Curved Carapace Length (CCL) was 54 cm; its Curved Carapace Width (CCW) was 51 cm. At death the CCL= 58.5 cm (a growth increment of 4.5 cm in 16 months); CCW = 55 cm (the growth was 4 cm over the 16 months). This juvenile turtle had been present in the same area of Albania at least twice: once at tagging (July 2004) and once at death (November 2005). It is not possible to say whether the animal was resident at Gjiri i Drinit in the intervening period; however, this is the sort of information that can be collected during a year-round study of fishery bycatch. For instance, if a turtle is found in a stavnike on several occasions that would imply some level of fidelity to a foraging ground, even if only for a few months. It may also be possible to determine a migratory pattern from such ongoing data.
iv. Distribution of sea turtles in Albania There was a distinct difference in the reported distribution of sea turtles between the northern and southern parts of Albania. During interviews with fishermen, and other coastal workers, the data collected included their sightings of turtles as well as any bycatch. From the southern port of Sarande to Durres sightings and captures of turtles were rare: typically 1 or 2 a year (occasionally 3-4 a year).
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