World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

COMORO ISLANDSJune. The peak appears to correspond with the trade wind season, in theaustral winter (Frazier, 1985), which, if it is true, contrasts with nestingin Aldabra, which occurs in the austral summer. Hughes (pers. comm. , 1988)reported nesting in October and November.Foraging sites The islands of Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli arerelatively poor in coral reefs and seagrass shallows, in comparison withneighbouring Mayotte. No information is available on preferred feedingsites. Although C. mydas (including immatures) appears to occur widely inComoros waters it is far less common around Grande Comore and Anjouan, withtheir often precipitous coastline and dense human population.Migration No direct information is available. Frazier (1985) suggeststhat the Moheli population may be resident around the island, and thatC. mydas around Grande Comore and Anjouan, males and immatures inparticular, may be migrants. Frazier speculates that migrants nesting inthe Comoros would be likely to move to coastal Tanzania, or south into theMozambique Channel, to feed.POPULATION : Kretmochelys imbricataNesting sites Confirmed nesting is known only on Moheli, with signs onat least 14 beaches, located in the south-west and around the eastern end ofMoheli, on Chissioua Canzoni and Chissioua Ou6n6fou (islands off the southcoast). Whilst E. imbricata has been recorded in waters around GrandeComore and Anjouan, most frequently of all around the former, breeding isnot recorded (Frazier, 1985).Nesting numbers Most of the nest beaches reported by Frazier (1985) heldonly one or a few E. imbricata nests, the chief exception being thenorth-east beach on Chissioua Ou^n^fou, on which more than four nests werefound in late February 1972 and 15 in early April 1972. Frazier (1985)characterises the Moheli population (virtually equivalent to the entireComoros nesting population) as small, with probably considerably fewer than50 females nesting annually.Trends In nesting numbers No direct evidence.Nesting season Nesting appears to extend from late December until May(Frazier, 1985).Foraging sites Typical known E. imbricata feeding habitat, namely,active and species-rich coral reef, is not widespread in the Comoros. Reefsare restricted in extent and diversity on both Grande Comore and Anjouan,but are better-developed around Moh61i, particularly in the south and aroundthe offshore islands (where most recorded nesting occurs). Despite theapparent scarcity of preferred habitat around Grande Comore, reasonablenumbers of E. imbricata occur there, all those encountered being immatures(Frazier, 1985).Migration No direct information. Frazier (1985) speculates that thereis likely to be some movement among the islands of the Comoro Archipelago,but that each island may have its own largely resident population.EXPLOITATIONCommodity C. mydas is captured frequently and forms an important food141