World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

PALAU REPUBLICHunting methods Palauans have the reputation for being the best fishermenin Micronesia. Johannes (1986) described several of the methods used forcatching turtles: nets were apparently in use up to the late 1950s, but nolonger in the 1970s, although some turtles may be caught accidentally in netsset for fish. Spearing is a common practice, sometimes carried out by largegroups of canoes searching the reef, but spearguns are also used byskin-divers. Often a float is attached to the end of the harpoon line toallow the turtle to dive until it becomes exhausted, after which it can berecovered. An interesting technique, said to have been introduced by theJapanese, involves setting a floating trip-line in crevices where turtles areknown to rest so that their arrival can be detected from the surface.Resting turtles can either be speared or have ropes tied to their flippers.Turtles are also killed on the nesting beaches, and the regular 14-dayinter-nesting interval is understood and exploited. The fisherman can tellthe age of eggs to within a day or two from the degree of calcification ofthe shell and the state of the embryo, and so know when to return to catchthe female. They are also said to be able to tell whether it is the female'sfirst or last nest of the season.Historical trends While Green Turtles and turtle eggs have probablyalways been harvested commensurate with the needs of the local population,the harvest of Hawksbills has almost certainly increased as a result ofcommercial demand for shell, spurred on at least partly by the growingtourist trade (Johannes, 1986).International trade Pritchard (1982b) pointed out a loophole in thelegislation, under which tourists returning to the USA could legally bringturtle products with them because the Trust Territory has the same status asan American state according to the wording of the Endangered Species Act.The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands has been covered by the USAratification of CITES since 14 January 1974. CITES Annual Reports onlyrecord trade with the Territory as a whole and not with island groups. Mostof the records of trade have been of illegal imports to the USA of mostlysingle shells, totalling five E. imbricata , 12 C. mydas and two Cheloniidaebetween 1982 and 1984. Further evidence of tourist trade in turtle productswas the reported commercial import to the Territory of 117 C. mydas carvingsin 1980 from the Cayman Islands. There were no records in CITES AnnualReports prior to 1980.LEGISLATIONTrust Territory Code is believed to be still in force. Title 45, Section 2contained the following provisions:The taking of E. imbricata of lengths less than 68.6 cm and of C. mydasof less than 86.4 cm is prohibited.Taking of any turtles during the periods 1 June-31 August and1 December-31 January is prohibited.Turtles may not be killed on shore, and their eggs may not be collected.The USA Endangered Species Act (q.v.) apparently applies to the TrustTerritory, but there is a special exemption to allow a subsistence take ofC. mydas .E. imbricata is totally protected, being listed as Endangered.C. mydas is listed as Threatened and may be taken by residents only, and"if such taking is customary, traditional and necessary for the405