World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

KENYAPOPULAT I ON :Chelonia mydasNesting sites Most nesting occurs on sand beaches along the mainlandcoast between Malindi and Lamu (south of the former, limestone cliffs areprevalent, and north of the latter, mangrove forests), and also on islands(including some north of Lamu) (Frazier, 1974). Most C. mydas nestingappears to take place on the more remote mainland coasts at Ras Biongwe andUngwana Bay, on the adjacent islands of Lamu and Manda, and on the smallisland of Tenewi (Frazier, 1982). These sites are restricted to thenorthern third of the coast, over a stretch of some 150 km.Nesting numbers No site-specific information is available, but the totalnumber nesting annually appears to be low, between 100 (Frazier, 1975b) and200 (Frazier, 1982).Trends in nesting numbers Both nesting and feeding populations were saidto be reduced in number (Frazier, 1974), or to be "decimated" (Ray, 1969).No precise information on supposed trends appears to be available. Thepresumed decline is attributed to persistent exploitation, pollution,coastal development and nest predation (Frazier, 1982).Nesting season According to Frazier (1975b) nesting is generallyconcentrated in June-August, when the south-east trade winds are fullyestablished.Foraging sites Seagrass pastures exist along much of the Kenya coast,being best-developed from Mombasa north, and provide important C. mydasfeeding grounds (Frazier, 1974).Migration No information is available, but it seems possible thatturtles from the North Yemen nesting population, known to forage in Somaliwaters, may extend into Kenyan territory.POPULATION : Eretmochelys imbricataNesting sites Little detailed information is available; low-levelnesting appears to occur on widely-distributed islands and mainland beaches(Frazier, 1975a, 1975b and 1982).Nesting numbers An estimated 50 E. imbricata nest annually (Frazier,1982).'Trends in nesting numbers Frazier (1974) stated that nesting andbreeding numbers had been reduced in recent years (i.e. the 1960s and early1970s); Frazier later (1982) stated that numbers "seem likely" to have beenreduced. No detailed information on trends is available. The presumeddecline of Kenyan turtles generally was attributed to persistentexploitation, coastal development and pollution (Frazier, 1982).Nesting season Nesting is suspected to occur mainly during thenorth-east monsoon (Frazier, 1982).Foraging sites Little site-specific information is available, but thespecies may be expected to forage widely over Kenyan coral reefs; Frazier(1974) cites Shimoni, Malindi, Tenewi and Lamu as being particularly richcoral reef areas.289