World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

CUBAPOPULATION: Chelonia mydas . Kretmochelys imbricataLittle information is available. Gavilan and Andreu (1983) reported thatmost turtle nesting occurs on the cays and islands of southern Cuba, inparticular at Cayo Largo del Sur, Isla de la Juventud (Playa Larga andRincon Frances), Cabo Corrientes and the Jardines de la Reina ("Gardens ofthe Queen", a chain of islands off the south coast), including Cachiboca,Cayo Grande, Cinco Balas and Cayo Caguama. Both C. mydas and E. imb r icatanest, also Caretta caretta , although no information is available on specificsites and numbers. Coral reefs and bays, providing feeding habitat, areextensive and turtles appear to occur throughout the area. According toGavilan and Andreu (1983) the Jardines de la Reina (Laberinto de las DoceLeguas), Golfo de Batabano and Ensenada de la Broa (in the south-west), arethe principal turtle foraging grounds. Anon. (1986a) reported that aMinistry of Fisheries staff member considered C. mydas to be the mostabundant turtle in Cuba, whereas fishermen claimed to catch moreE. imbricata . Sources also reported that only E. imbricata has a residentpopulation, and that the species is abundant around Isla de la Juventud(Isla de Finos) (Anon., 1986a). A decline in numbers of C. mydas caught(see below) may reflect decline in nesting numbers or in foraging numbers.EXPLOITATIONCommodity Both C. mydas and E. imbricata are captured in Cuba for food.There is a major trade in the shell of E. imbricata , mostly for export, andsome shell of C. mydas is used for marquetry on the island. Fat and oil isused locally for perfumery and soap manufacture, and skins are tanned.Turtle eggs are occasionally eaten illegally and are regarded as anaphrodisiac (Anon., 1986a).Hunting intensity All turtle fishing is carried out by stateco-operatives, and is under state control. There is thought to be littleillegal capture of turtles, and the close season is generally observed.During the close season, fishermen are paid a fixed salary and are notpermitted to land turtles (Anon., 1986a). Consequently, the official catchstatistics as supplied to FAO (Table 49) probably give a fair impression ofthe harvest. The figures in Table 49 agree with those provided by Gavilanand Andreu (1983) for 1980 to 1982.The main ports from which turtle fishing is carried out are Niquero, SantaCruz, Casilda, Cienfuegos, Isla de Juventud, Coloma, Arroyos de Mantua andPuerto Esperanza (Gavilan and Andreu, 1983). The most important fishinggrounds are around the offshore islands, particularly, Cayo Breton, Jardinesde la Reina, Cayo Guano, Cayo Largo, and Isla de Juventud (Pinos) off thesouth coast; and to the north, Archipielago de Sabana and Camaguey (Anon.,1986a)Hunting methods Most turtles are caught off shore using nets with a150-mm mesh size. The boats usually make protracted journeys, and theturtles are usually dead when they are landed. Very few turtles are thoughtto be captured on the nesting beaches (Anon., 1986a).Historical trends Parsons (1972) mentioned the Archipelago of Jardinesde la Reina as being one of the earliest (18th century?) centres fortortoiseshell trade in the Caribbean. The islands used to be visited byturtle fishermen from Cayman Brae.153