World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

BURMADomestic trade Most of the eggs collected are taken to coastal towns,where they sell for 30-80 pyas (US$0. 04-0 . 10) each. Some are sold in Rangoonat a retail price of about 1 kyat (US$0.12) each, and some may occasionallybe flown to Bangkok (Salter, 1983).Hawksbill shell is sold to artisans in Rangoon at about US$75-150 per kg.The combs and ornaments made from this are sold locally (Salter, 1983).International trade The only evidence of external trade in turtleproducts from Burma is to be found in the Customs reports of imports ofunworked tortoiseshell to the Republic of Korea. These record imports of300 kg in 1975, 1100 kg in 1977 and 500 kg in January-November 1978 (Wells,1979). There have been no further imports reported from Burma since 1978.CITES Annual Reports contain no record of trade in sea turtle products withBurma.LEGISLATIONThe Fisheries Act. No. Ill, 1905, amended 1909, 1928, 1934, 1937, 1940(Salter, 1983).All sea turtles come under the provisions of the Act; rights to collectturtle eggs from specified areas can be leased or granted by theGovernment, collection can also be prohibited in specified areas.Burma Wild Life Protection Act, 1936. (Salter, 1983).Prohibits hunting (wounding, killing, or capturing) any animal in aWildlife Sanctuary. Dispensation can be granted only for scientificpurposes or to preserve the balance of nature. The Forest Departmentacts as a licensing agency for egg collection in Sanctuaries andReserved Forests.Thamihla Kyun and the Moscos Islands (which accommodate virtually the entireBurmese Green Turtle nesting population) are both Wildlife Sanctuaries. Aclosed season for egg collection, from 1 April to 15 May, has been in forceon Thamihla since 1874. According to Salter (1983: p. 50) the spirit of theWLPA (1936) is not followed at either locality since virtually all eggs arecollected. The close season is of little use since it does not coincidewith the main laying season.RANCHINGHatchery or nest protection programmes operate on Thamihla, Kadonlay andGayedgyi Islands. On Thamihla, 5000-10 000 eggs (perhaps 45-90 nests) arepurchased by PPFC, reburied. in beach enclosures, and hatchlings raised insea-water tanks "until large enough for release" (Salter, 1983). Thehatching success is reported to be 90-95%, but Salter considered that thiswas unlikely to be correct.On Kadonlay and Gayedgyi, towards the end of the nesting season 25 nests aremarked and a roofed bamboo enclosure is erected around them after 45 days.Hatchlings are retained in the enclosures for 5-6 days and then released.Survival to release for the 15 500 eggs protected from 1978 to 1982 isreported to have been 55% (Salter, 1983).117