World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

MAURITANIAPOPULATION:Chelonia mydasNesting sites Although the species is present along the entire coast ofMauritania, confirmed nesting sites are rather few. Known sites include Capd'Arguin (on the north coast of the Banc d'Arguin), the north coast of theIwick (louik) peninsula, and (according to Imraguen fishermen) along thesouth coast of Cap Timiris (Maigret, 1983). Local fishermen report that allfive of the region's sea turtles nest along the southern half ofMauritania's remote and sparsely-inhabited coast, between Cap Timiris,Nouakchott, and the border with Senegal (Maigret, 1983).Nesting numbers No detailed information available; data presented byMaigret (1983, Table 5, Fig. 1) do not suggest that a large nestingpopulation is present.Nesting season Nesting on the Cap d'Arguin has been recorded at the endof July, and Imraguen fishermen report mating in June-July in the southernsector of the Banc d'Arguin (Maigret, 1978).Foraging sites Mauritania appears to be more important in providingforaging habitat for C. mydas than nesting sites. The species occurs alongthe entire coast of Mauritania, but is particularly abundant in the Bancd'Arguin, with its extensive shallows and beds of marine vegetation.Juveniles, some 30-AO cm in carapace length, are common around the Pointedes Coquilles, in the Bale du L6vrler, and around Cap Tafarlt (Maigret,1978).POPULATION: Eretmochelys imbricataNo confirmed nest sites are known, although some nesting may well occur,much of the coast being remote and unsurveyed. The species is relativelyfrequent off shore along the coast between the Senegal border and CapTimiris, where (in 1975-1977) each fishing boat would net 2-3 juvenileE. imbricata a season, rarely over 40 cm in length, but it is apparentlyrare toward the north, where the Imraguen catch practically none (Maigret,1983). Local fishermen report that all turtle species occurring off shorebetween Senegal and Cap Timiris also nest there.EXPLOITATIONCommodity Green Turtles are frequently captured in Mauritania, andconstitute 85% of the turtles caught on the Banc d'Arguin. Turtles aremainly used for meat, but there is also said to be a tourist trade in turtleproducts (Verschuren, 1985). Most of the shells are C. mydas andC. caretta . E. imbricata Is very seldom caught in the north of the country,but features as an incidental catch in the south (Maigret, 1983).Hunting intensity There are no indications of the current levels ofharvest, but C. mydas Is said to form an important source of protein for thecoastal people. Visiting Breton crayfish boats were said to capture 2-3Hawksbills a season in the south of the country (Maigret, 1983). Verschuren(1985) claimed that the trade demand for turtles was resulting in "intense"hunting pressure, although this was questioned by Maigret ( in litt .8 September 1987) who said that since 1975 the crayfish are only caught byartisanal boats from Nouakchott and from St Louis in Senegal.338