Yesterday was World Turtle Day :

Hatching a plot to save turtles

Charmaine FERNANDO

Under the cloak of nightfall, dozens of freshly hatched sea turtles beat their tiny flippers against the wet sands of our beaches, inching their way toward the ocean and a life aquatic. It is the first of many challenges these turtles will face in a lifetime that can exceed that of the average human. But even those hatchlings that reach the water are not out of the woods. As soon as they reach the sea hatchlings swim constantly for about 48 hours.

During this time they do not feed. Instead they rely on the remains of the egg yolk in their stomachs for nutrition. This is known as the ‘juvenile frenzy’ and is an essential behaviour which allows the hatchlings to escape the predator-rich inshore waters as they are carried away by the open ocean currents. Yesterday was World Turtle Day and what better time to reflect on these harmless and gentle creatures.

Studies have established that when the female turtles reach maturity they will return to nest on the same beach where they themselves hatched. Here they lay eggs of their own, in dozens of nests that each typically contain more than 50 eggs. It has been estimated that under natural conditions only one in a thousand eggs survive to eventually become mature adult turtles.

Under threat

A Green turtle depositing eggs. Picture by Thushan Kapurusinghe, Turtle Conservation Project

Green Turtle

A hatchling

A Leatherback turtle in Kosgoda. Leatherback turtle is the largest of all sea turtles and critically endangered species. Picture by Thushan Kapurusinghe

The sea turtles’ way of life here is under increasing threat because of the over exploitation of marine and coastal resources in Sri Lanka. In addition turtle nesting beaches or rookeries are being disturbed by tourist industry development and feeding habitats such as coral reefs, sea grass beds being destroyed by pollution and unsustainable harvesting.

Many turtles are accidentally caught and drowned in fishing gear each year while the critically endangered species such as the hawksbill has been hunted to the brink of extinction for its shell. In addition, dozens of mature turtles are killed every breeding season, even before reaching the shore, by boat propellers, dynamiting or by poachers hoping to make a profit from the illegal sale of turtle meat.

Conservationists have been fighting to put a stop to deadly industrial fisheries and increase protection. They do their best to protect turtle nests by roping them off and posting signs warning that it is a felony to disturb the eggs of these creatures threatened with extinction, but it is sometimes not enough. Egg poachers and vandals have destroyed a number of nests in recent years along stretches of the island’s traditional nesting grounds.

The Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and the Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) are among the different types of turtle who come ashore to nest on our beaches.

All five species are listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as either critically endangered or endangered. Despite this international legislation and the local protection provided by government legislation since 1972 marine turtles are still being extensively exploited in Sri Lanka for their eggs and meat.

Ultimate destination

All these species are known to nest in the Kosgoda area on the south of the island. The four kilometre stretch of beach situated from the northern end of Kosgoda lagoon to the rocky outcrop south of the Victor Haselblad hatchery has been identified as the best turtle beach in the area.

Surveys carried out by both the Turtle Conservation Project (TCP) and the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) indicate that almost all of the sea turtle nests occurring on Kosgoda beach are plundered for their eggs.

The eggs are sold to private dealers for distribution and consumption or sold to turtle hatcheries.

Hatcheries in the Kosgoda area pose a dual threat to sea turtle conservation. Their methods have yet to be proven as successful but their proliferation gives the impression that “something is being done”. Wildlife Department Assistant Director Upali Padmasiri says said that under the Flora and Fauna Protection (Amendment) Act, No 22 of 2009, turtles are a strictly protected species and thus, they cannot be sold, captured, caged or bred.

According to the amendment any persons found guilty of any of these offences are liable to a fine of not less than Rs 10 000 (approximately US $200) and or a prison term of not less than two years.

Hatcheries harmful?

He said that although it looked as if the turtles were being conserved by the hatcheries, the practice could be ecologically harmful as it may change the gender balance of the turtles. “If the eggs are protected where they are laid, it is fine. But when the eggs are taken away and hatched in another place, the temperature under which the hatching takes place differs, which in turn determines the gender. Thus the gender balance of the turtles is affected,” he warned.

Elaborating on the negative aspects of the turtle hatcheries, Upali Padmasiri said, when the turtles hatch in their natural habitat, they head for the sea and swim for 48 hours non-stop, passing areas where most of their predators are.

“But when they are hatched in simulated environments, they are put into tanks in which they swim for 48 hours they are exhausted and become easy prey for predators, he said.

“Even with conservation, less than one percent of the turtles released into the sea get an opportunity to grow into adulthood,” he said. But for the sea turtles’ advocates, protection starting at birth is the key to their future survival.

Conservation

Meanwhile, Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Project Manager Dudley Perera said although the state did not have legal provisions to grant permission to maintain turtle hatcheries, there were about 10 hatcheries in existence, some of which were about 25 years old. “What we do is preserve the eggs that would otherwise have been sold in the market. And we are doing this without government or NGO assistance,” he explained.

Kosgoda Police insists this area was famous for its turtle hatcheries and though the police fine those caught stealing turtle eggs from the beach the killing of turtles is less now due to the hatcheries. Taking these facts into consideration the Turtle Conservation Project (TCP) has initiated a community based nest protection programme with a grant received from UNDP.

The main goals of this new initiative are to protect all sea turtle nests laid within the project boundary to provide direct and indirect alternatives to those who were previously dependent on egg poaching to train locals in income generation and to promote eco-sensitive nature tourism and to foster education and awareness.

TCP currently employs 15 community members from Kosgoda as ‘nest protectors’ who were previously dependent on sea turtle egg gathering. The initiative includes a training component to train locals as tourist guides and to provide them a government-certified tourist guide license.

In addition batik and coir production as well as an education and awareness programme on sea turtles among the school children and fishing community in Kosgoda are taking place. The project receives considerable support from local state institutions such as divisional secretariat and the Sri Lanka Tourist Board for its successful implementation.

Yet one thing that would be a comforting thought to conservationists and a positive promise to ensure the sea turtles’ survival for posterity is certain: Whether they are cavorting among coral reefs or sunning on the beach, it is a reassuring reflection that the turtles have many caring individuals and agencies looking out for them.