Abstract medasset – a unique approach to conservation

NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-631

PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTY-FIRST ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM ON SEA TURTLE BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION

10 to 16 April 2011 San Diego, California, USA Compiled by: T. Todd Jones & Bryan P. Wallace U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast Fisheries Science Center 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami, Florida 33149 May 2012

(Updated November 2012)

NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-631

PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTY-FIRST ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM ON SEA TURTLE BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION 10 to 16 April 2011 San Diego, California, USA Compiled by: T. Todd Jones & Bryan P. Wallace U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE John Bryson, Secretary NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE Samuel Rauch III, Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries May 2012 (Updated November 2012) This Technical Memorandum series is used for documentation and timely communication of preliminary results, interim reports, or special-purpose information. Although the memoranda are not subject to complete formal review, editorial control or detailed editing, they are expected to reflect sound professional work.

NOTICE The NOAA Fisheries Service (NMFS) does not approve, recommend or endorse any proprietary product or material mentioned in this publication. No reference shall be made to NOAA Fisheries, or to this publication furnished by NOAA Fisheries, in any advertising or sales promotion which would indicate or imply that NOAA Fisheries approves, recommends or endorses any proprietary product or material herein or which has as its purpose any intent to cause or indirectly cause the advertised product to be use or purchased because of NOAA Fisheries promotion.

For bibliographic purposes, this document should be cited as follows: Jones, T. Todd and Wallace, Bryan P., compilers. 2012 (Updated November 2012).

Proceedings of the Thirty-first Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOAA NMFS-SEFSC-631: 322p.

Technical Editor: Lisa Belskis Copies of this report can be obtained from: NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast Fisheries Science Center 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami, FL 33149 Request a hard copy, email: seaturtledocuments@noaa.gov PDF version available at http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/species/turtles/publications.htm or National Technical Information Service 5301 Shawnee Rd Alexandria, VA 22312 (703) 605-6050, (888)584-8332 http://www.ntis.gov/

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31st ISTS Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation, San Diego, California, USA

MEDASSET (MEDITERRANEAN ASSOCIATION TO SAVE THE SEA TURTLES) – A UNIQUE APPROACH TO CONSERVATION Lily Venizelos1 and Roger Poland2 1 2

MEDASSET, 1c Licavitou St., 106 72 Athens, Greece Operation Wallacea, Wallace House, Old Bolingbroke, Lincolnshire, PE23 4EX UK

MEDASSET, an International pioneering NGO with its roots going back to 1983, is registered in Greece and the UK. When constituted in 1988, it was and still is the only organization working exclusively on marine turtle conservation and education throughout the Mediterranean. Core funding by the founder enabled the organization to pursue monitoring, research, conservation and education projects in European, Near Eastern and North African Mediterranean countries: these activities have been fully backed by key international intergovernmental organizations and further supported by sponsors and fundraising. Internationally, MEDASSET has made a major contribution towards the legal framework protecting sea turtles and has carried out important projects such as a 7,880 km survey of Mediterranean coastline, not only discovering new nesting sites but confirming the absence of turtles in key areas. Amongst hundreds of activities it has helped to pioneer satellite tracking in the Mediterranean, investigated the effect of fishing on sea turtle populations and carried out ongoing yearly assessments of major nesting areas: these findings have been presented to the Bern Convention at the Council of Europe and have resulted in the adoption of significant conservation strategies to protect sea turtles. One of its most important activities has been lobbying and campaigning and this helped towards the establishment of the Zakynthos National Marine Park (1999). It has initiated many campaigns with its recent success against chemical pollution on the important green turtle nesting beach in Kazanli, Turkey. Endangered green turtles in the Mediterranean have been a conservation priority for MEDASSET since 1989. There have been several other successful campaigns such as the ban on the sale of turtle meat and blood in Egypt (1998) and since 1996 there has been an on-going campaign on the impact of Small Garbage to marine life which has spread successfully beyond Europe to India. The release of captive turtles held in Monaco, Egypt, Tunisia, Italy, Albania have made exciting stories to increase public awareness. The EuroTurtle website (1997) was the first interactive educational website devoted to sea turtles and is maintained by MEDASSET: it has an estimated 1,500,000 hits annually from 50 different countries and has received several awards. Other innovative ventures such as Niretta the Caretta for creative learning and Environmental Education kit, The Mediterranean Sea, a Source of Life" in three languages, have put MEDASSET at the forefront of public awareness and education. It has been MEDASSET s enthusiasm, persistence, imaginative approach, hard working and highly active lobbying and campaigning at every level that has made it a unique organization. MEDASSET never shies away from getting involved in conservation projects especially where research had never been carried out before and where little or no commitment to sea turtle conservation exist, thus consciously choosing the hard way in helping to develop turtle conservation in the Mediterranean. Until MEDASSET s campaign for the protection of sea turtles on Zakynthos (Greece), few had heard of this now famous sea turtle site or even knew of the existence of such magnificent animals in some countries of the Mediterranean.

TOWARDS A SELF FINANCING SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION PROGRAMME IN MAFIA ISLAND, TANZANIA* Lindsey West, Catharine Joynson-Hicks, Omari Abdallah, and Boniventure Mchomvu Sea Sense, PO BOX 105044, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania The Mafia archipelago is the most important nesting site in Tanzania for green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Occasional hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) nests are also recorded. In 2001, community based nest monitoring commenced in Mafia. Beach surveys were undertaken and interviews were held with local fishers to help identify sea turtle nesting beaches. Since then, trained community members have conducted early morning foot patrols on a daily basis throughout the year, at six key nesting sites. Nests are located and identified by day track counts. Data is collected on nesting species, nest location and frequency of nesting activity. Threats to nesting females and incubating eggs are also

Abstract titles marked with an * denote Oral Presentations

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