World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

COLOMBIACOLOMBIA:CASIBBBANPOPULATION:Chelonla mydasNesting sites Beach habitat suitable for turtle nesting is extensive,but confirmed C. mydas nesting is very sparse; the species occasionallynests on the mainland between Cartagena and Santa Marta, very occasionallyin the Islas del Rosario (Carr et al. . 1982), and possibly among otherisland groups. Turtle nesting, possibly involving some C. mydas ,is said tooccur around the Guajira Peninsula and in the San Andres Archipelago (Mast,1986), although Kaufman (1971) considered the former to be unsuitable forturtle nesting.Nesting numbers Very little numerical information is available.According to Kaufman, (1971), nesting by this species had become "onlyoccasional" (beaches west of Santa Marta not investigated). Ogren (1984)reported two and three confirmed C. mydas nests (tracks) in two aerialsurveys of large portions of the Caribbean coast of Colombia conducted in1983. On present evidence, C. mydas nesting in Caribbean Colombia is oflittle significance. The species is said to be less frequently encounteredin Colombian waters than E. imbricata or Caretta caretta (Carr et al . ,1982).Trends in nesting numbers While nesting around 1970 was occasional,15-20 years previously (i.e. 1950-1955) both C. mydas and E. imbricata usedto nest frequently; 10-12 females nightly on the 7 . 5 km Buritaca-Don Diegobeach (Kaufman, 1971). Mast (1986) reports that artisanal fisheries havebeen faced with declining numbers of turtles, although it is not clear towhat extent numbers nesting in Colombia have declined, rather than foragingturtles that nest on distant beaches. Carr et al ,(1982) state thatColombian sea turtle populations are generally depleted, due to heavyexploitation.Nesting season According to Mast (1986), C. mydas nests mainly inMay-July, sometimes extending into August.Foraging sites Some seagrass pastures, suitable for C. mydas, existaround the Islas del Rosario, and possibly other islands, but this habitatis extensively developed around the Guajira Peninsula (Carr et al. ,1982).Many of the 58 turtles tagged at Tortuguero (Costa Rica) and recovered inColombian waters were captured around the Guajira Peninsula (Carr et al.1982).Migration No information is available on long-distance movements ofC. mydas nesting in Colombia; as noted above, feeding grounds in Colombiaare utilised by turtles nesting elsewhere, specifically at Tortuguero.POPULATION : Eretmochelvs imbricataNesting sites The species nests in the Islas del Rosario, reportedly inthe San Bernado Islands, occasionally on the mainland between Cartagena andSanta Marta (Carr et al. . 1982; Mast, 1986). In the Gulfo de Uraba, thereare two nesting beaches near Acandi (Ramos Mora, 1987). Ogren (1984) citedunconfirmed reports of nesting at Playa Blanca and Isla Baru. Data from1965 indicated that E. imbricata nested in South West Bay, Isla de SanAndres (Chirivi Gallego, 1978).135