World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

IRANon Lavak. Island set up to extract oil from P. coriacea , about 10 15 of whichwere taken each year. Kinunen and Walczak (1971) found the remains of oneC. mydas in the vicinity, but concluded that it must have been an incidentalcatch on the grounds that this species could not be used in the same way foroil extraction.Hunting intensity Egg-collecting appears to be an irregular activity,entirely for subsistence purposes, on Hormuz, Larak and Lavan at least; itmay be more regular on Shitvar. Although meat is said not to be eaten,turtles were occasionally killed for their shells, and the remains of 12C. mydas were reported on the beach on Lavak Island, at least some of whichwere the result of human predation. Kinunen and Walczak (1971) consideredthat egg and turtle harvest was at that time minimal and likely to havelittle impact on turtle populations.Domestic trade On Lavan, carapaces were sold to employees at the then(1970) recently established LAPCO oil loading pier; Green Turtles werepreferred to Hawksbills, the shells fetching 250-500 rials each (U.S. $3-7 at1971 rates of exchange) (Kinunen and Walczak, 1971).International trade CITES Annual Reports contain no record of trade insea turtle products with Iran.LEGISLATIONThere is no information on any protective legislation for sea turtles inIran.269