By IPS Correspondents
SUVA, Sep 13 2007 (IPS)

Following reports of the slaughter of 84 turtles, as part of festivities for an annual church conference, conservationists have called on Pacific Island countries to enforce legislations that ban the killing or molestation of the endangered sea reptiles.

Green Turtles on Fijian Shores Credit: Shailendra Singh

According to the report, Fiji’s Fisheries Department gave the approval for only three turtles to be caught for “traditional purposes” as permitted under a moratorium on turtle hunting.

But five fisheries officers stationed in Macuata to monitor the number of turtles caught by church members later reported that 84 turtles had been captured and slaughtered.

In an interview with IPS, Word Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature’s Fiji manager Kesaia Tabunakawai said that a request was made to the fisheries department for the harvest.

The department, which sets the numbers allowable for harvesting, gave the approval for a certain number of turtles to be taken but this had been exceeded, she said. “WWF would like to know what went wrong in this particular case in terms of numbers that were allowed and the numbers that were taken.”

Fiji Sun, a local newspaper, quoted senior fisheries officer Aisake Batibasaga as confirming that permission was given only for the harvest of three turtles. Batibasaga said while the offenders should be taken to court and made an example of, efforts to educate people should be ongoing. “It takes time to change their mentality because if we tell them that that they will be sent to prison, they will tell you that ‘we have been doing this for 300 to 500 years and who are you to come and tell us not to eat turtles?’”

The Fiji moratorium on molesting, taking or killing of turtles came into effect in March 2004 and is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2008.

The moratorium protects turtles throughout this period. Should turtles be required for traditional purposes, a permit has to be obtained from the fisheries ministry.

Persons caught harvesting turtles without a permit face prosecution and can be jailed for between 3-6 months or fined Fiji Dollars 500 (310 US dollars), or face both penalties. Those caught selling turtles face fines of up to FJD 20,000 (12,414 dollars) or imprisonment for up to five years.

Tabunakawai said the mass killing indicated a lack of commitment from the public to the moratorium. “The public’s disbelief in the falling number of turtles (especially nesting turtles) is probably the reason for the lack of commitment.’’

According to the WWF, all seven species of marine turtles are susceptible to extinction although at varied stages.

Of these seven species, four are found in Fiji waters. They are the Hawksbill turtle, Green turtle, Leatherback turtle and Loggerhead turtle.

In the past years, turtle population numbers have severely declined mainly due to over-harvesting for either the consumption of their meat, eggs or the sale of its shell to make jewellery.

Accidental capture in fisheries, destruction of their feeding and nesting grounds through poorly planned coastal development and marine pollution have also taken a toll on their numbers.

Lobbying by the South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme, WWF and other conservation groups led to several Pacific Island countries observing, reviewing or proposing legislation for the protection of turtles. These legislations are regulated within the countries’ own national polices.

Tabunakawai said traditional use is also being practiced in other Pacific Island countries but could not say to what extend harvesting was taking place. She said the taking of turtles in one country had an effect on other countries as well.

“Turtles are migratory species and turtle slaughter here (in Fiji) could be nesting populations from other Pacific islands,’’ Tabunakawai said. “For example, Green turtles come from American Samoa and the Cooks Islands to feed and forage in Fijian waters. Fiji is a turtle feeding hot-spot for the South Pacific.’’

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