World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

MALDIVESof the Maldive turtle population is composed of foraging (non-nesting)migrantsEXPLOITATIONComnodity Both E. imbricata and C. mydas are hunted for meat and theireggs are collected. Traditionally C. mydas was rarely used for food andonly its eggs were collected, while E. imbricata was hunted for shell(Munch-Petersen, 1985). Moslem beliefs formerly forbade the eating ofturtle meat, but a religious leader in the 1950s refuted this on theologicalgrounds, and thereafter the consumption of turtle meat became widespread,although some of the population are still reluctant to eat it (Frazier,1980a; Frazier and Frazier, 1987). There is a major tourist trade forcurios (bangles, combs, earrings, boxes etc.) and stuffed turtles, andHawksbill shell is exported. N.F. Munch-Petersen ( in litt. . 24 September1986) reported that some women avoided the meat, fearing that it causedfoetal deformities. Turtle penis is sometimes considered to be anaphrodisiac. There is one report of turtle poisoning in the Maldives, from1978 in one of the southern atolls. Some people eat C. mydas but rejectE. imbricata , considering it to be poisonous; E. imbricata is eaten commonlyin 27% of the islands, rarely in 37% and never in 35%. C. mydas is eatencommonly in 53% of the islands, rarely in 43% and never in only 6% (Frazierand Frazier, 1987)Hunting intensity A questionnaire survey of turtle breeding andexploitation was carried out in the Maldives in 1983-1984 by N.T. Hasen Didiand J. Frazier. The results of this survey show tremendous variation, andmay not be reliable, but they showed that the number of C. mydas caught perisland per year varied from to 180, giving an estimated annual harvest of1566. The harvest was greatest in the northern atolls. E. imbricatacatches varied from to 500 a year on each island, with a total of 2800,evenly distributed between the north and south. One island, Gaadhoo, has alocally enforced ban on killing turtles, but on many inhabited islands it islikely that every nesting turtle is caught. Egg harvests are high and mayapproach 100% on several islands (Frazier and Frazier, 1987).Hunting methods The majority of turtles are turned on the nestingbeaches. Those caught at sea are either gaffed while resting or feeding,chased by boat in shallow water or caught by diving (Frazier, 1980a).Frazier and Frazier (1987) reported that some may be caught on hook, and lineand that many are caught accidentally in shark nets. Around 42% of theC. mydas and 35% of the E . imbricata were said to have been caught in thesea, while the others were caught on the islands (M. Hassan Maniku in litt .6 November 1986)Historical trends The Maldives have long been a source of Hawksbillshell, featuring in the trade routes of antiquity; by the 12th century theywere already well known. N.F. Munch-Petersen ( in litt. . 24 September 1986)mentioned that before the formation of the Republic (1968), catchingHawksbills was a royal monopoly, which had the effect of limiting the catchsomewhat. Until recently, the Moslem population did not eat turtle meat forreligious reasons, eating only turtle eggs. In the 1950s, the religious banwas lifted and ever since then, the hunting of both E. imbricata andC. mydas has been increasing (Didi, 1983), aided by the introduction ofmotorised sea transport, which allowed regular access to all points of thearchipelago (Munch Petersen, 1985). The onset of organised tourism in 1972introduced a new demand for stuffed turtles and other curios, and by 1977330