World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

EggINDONESIASalient features of known important C. mydas nest beaches, starting with themost important - islands in Riau Province, the Berau group, and the AruIslands - are outlined below. Notes are included on habitat andexploitation, along with information on nesting numbers. Most informationis taken from Schulz (1984 and 1987), also Compost (1980).South Natuna IslandsRiau Province, including several island groups in the South China Searegion, has for some time been regarded as an important turtle area, andfishermen in north-west Kalimantan spoke of concentrations of turtles in theSouth Natuna and Tambelan Islands (Schulz, 1987). Both C. mydas andE. imbricata nest in the South Natuna group, including Serasan, Perhantuanand Sempadi. Schulz (1987) considered Sisi beach on Serasan Island to beone of the finest turtle nesting beaches he had yet seen in Indonesia, alongwith Pangumbahan and Sukamade. The main nesting season is said to beAugust-October for C. mydas and March-May for E. imbricata . collectionis intense, and while in the old days many nests would not be taken duringstormy weather during the north-west monsoon (December-March), better boatsand equipment now allow visits to be made throughout the year. However, a1974 Provincial Decree prohibits turtle fishing in waters of Riau Province,and it seems that regardless of this decree, adult turtles are not taken bylocal hunters, nor do Balinese fishing vessels venture into the area.Fishermen have on several occasions seen C. mydas with tags from the SarawakTurtle Islands (see Sambas-Paloh account below, and MALAYSIA: SARAWAKaccount). Egg collection data gathered by Schulz (1987) are presented inTable 82, with an estimate of annual female nesting numbers.Table 82. Approximate annual egg harvest in the Serasan sub-district ofthe South Natuna Islands, with estimate of annual nesting numbers (assumingan 8:1 ratio of Greens to Hawksbills, a clutch size of 120, and three nestsper female annually; data from Schulz, 1987). Post-1984 figures are omittedbecause incomplete.Year