World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

HONDURASHONDURAS:CARIBBEANPOPULATION:Chelonia mydasNesting sites Carr et al (1982) report that Green Turtles, along withHawlcsbills and Loggerheads, nest on the extensive beaches between PuertoCortes and La Ceiba; Green Turtles also reportedly nest on Vivario, Becerroand Caratasca Cays. The Miskitia (Mosquitia) region in the east of thecountry has not been surveyed (Carr et al. . 1982).Nesting numbers Carr et al (1982) stated that Green Turtles nested"regularly but not abundantly" on the aforementioned cays. Numbers (ofturtles in general) nesting on mainland beaches were said to have greatlydiminished (Carr at al , 1982) although no figures or estimates wereavailable. Nesting (for the whole country) was described in 1986 as of lowabundance by Portillo ( in litt , 20 August 1986).Trends in nesting numbers See above. Portillo, referring to the wholecountry, stated ( in litt . 20 August 1986) that numbers were decreasing.Nesting season Nesting was said to occur on the Miskitia coast duringAugust and September (Cruz and Espinal, 1987).Foraging sites Good developmental habitat for Green Turtles, Hawksbillsand Loggerheads reportedly occurs around all the Bay Islands (Utila, Roatin,Barbareta and Guanaja), although populations in this region are said to bebadly depleted. From the Bay Islands east to Cabo Gracias a Dios there areextensive seagrass flats also apparently frequented by these species (Carret al. . 1982).Migration Until 1982 there had been 27 tag returns from Honduran waters,mostly from the eastern part of the coast, of females tagged at theTortuguero nesting beach in Costa Rica (Carr et al . 1982).POPULATION : Eretmochelys imbricataNesting sites Hawksbills, like Green Turtles, are reported to nest onthe beaches between Puerto Cortes and La Ceiba (Carr et al , 1982). Cruzand Espinal (1987) confirmed that nesting occurred on the three main Islasde Bahia, the Cayos Cochinos and the islands off the Miskitia coast.Nesting numbers The species nests in unknown though apparently depletednumbers (Carr et al . 1982). Portillo ( in litt. . 20 August 1986)characterised the population of the country as a whole as of "moderateabundance" and noted that the species occurred in greater numbers thanChelonia mydas . Juvenile E. imbricata are said to be the most frequentlyencountered species in coastal waters (Cruz and Espinal, 1987).Trends in nesting numbers Decreasing (Portillo in litt , 20 August1986). Fishermen in the Bahia Islands consider that the Hawksbill hasdeclined over the past 10-15 years (Cruz et al , 1987).Nesting season Nesting is reported between June and September (Cruz andEspinal, 1987).Foraging sites Good developmental habitat for Green Turtles, Hawksbillsand Loggerheads reportedly occurs around all the Bay Islands (Utila, Roatin,?24