(RoSTI) ANNUAL REPORT 2003 - WIDECAST

RoSTI Annual Report 2003
Franklin, Byrne and Eckert (2004)
In-water Research- A local Turtle Sighting and Reporting Network was established in 2003 in
collaboration with Dive Dominica, where RoSTI Project Manager Rowan Byrne encountered sea turtles
firsthand during dives nearly every weekend. Boat captains also report very frequent sightings.
It is clear from observational and anecdotal information available from the 2003 research season that
much could be learned from initiating a more formal investigation of sea turtle distribution, abundance
and behaviour in offshore waters. With this in mind, RoSTI staff have on many occasions spoken with
Chief Fisheries Officer Mr. Andrew Magloire and Marine Manager Mr. Arun Madsetti concerning more
organized in-water surveys in 2004. RoSTI Project Managers have been asked to prepare Methods for
such an initiative and submit the document to the CFO for consideration, and have been assured of the
full support of the Fisheries office.
Such research may at first remain focused in Rosalie Bay, where RoSTI staff have logged observations of
juvenile Green turtles, for example, apparently foraging on rock algae at the river mouth. This is an
excellent opportunity for in-water research on juveniles. Fishermen at Fond St. Jean have also reported
an “abundance” of juvenile Green turtles in the South of the island, as well as Loggerheads. There are
further possibilities near Calibishe, Soufriere, Portsmouth, Salisbury, and Cabrits Marine Park, Anse de
Mai, Woodford Hill, Hamstead Beach, and the Calibishe and Atkinson beach area in Carib territory.
These opportunities are not only very exciting avenues for research, but also represent an effective way to
involve and work more closely with fishermen and fishing communities around the island, thus enhancing
the mutual exchange of information and ideally garnering broader grassroots support for research,
conservation and management activities with endangered sea turtles. There is a great potential for
learning from fisher communities island-wide, as fishermen frequently catch turtles at sea (and during the
hunting season, clean the turtle at sea). In one circumstance a fisherman in Point Michael reported to
RoSTI staff that he had caught seven (7) turtles in his net in October 2003; all were reportedly released
unharmed.
With all of this in mind, it is a recommendation that 2004 RoSTI staff design and prepare the
methodology for in-water research at selected sites around the island (including Rosalie Bay). Such
methodology should seek to incorporate livelihood generation activities, such as the opportunity offered
by Mr. John Robins (Benjo’s Sea Moss) to involve fishers in the cultivation of seamoss for his food and
beverages industry, based in Dominica. Mr. Robins is very supportive of research activity, and with the
help of RoSTI staff he sees a chance for his project to become involved, as well, with local communities
island-wide.
It is noteworthy that WIDECAST will be designing in-water census programs to study foraging
populations in selected Eastern Caribbean islands during 2004-2006 as a pilot project with UNEP
funding. Participants will be trained in Barbados in partnership with the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, and
also in Bermuda in partnership with the Bermuda Aquarium. It is a recommendation that Dominica be
included in this pilot programme as soon as practicable.
Habitat protection- Regulated multiple use areas, buffer zones, and various forms of habitat protection
are among the tools that managers and concerned communities emphasise when seeking to safeguard and
restore depleted natural resources. In the case of sea turtles, where poaching continues to pose a serious
threat, it is a recommendation that a “Rosalie Bay Reserve” (RBR) be considered, perhaps under the
authority of the Fisheries Act.
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