World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

PHILIPPINESTanganak. and Balclcungan Besar (Turtle Islands) was not controlled. Somecollection of eggs by visiting fishermen Is reported on Halog Island (CuyoIslands) (Rodriguez, 1984).Hunting methods Throughout the central Vlsayas, turtles are activelysought by fishermen, who catch them by spearing, nets and fish corrals.Animals caught accidentally are rarely released alive (Alcala, 1980).Around Camlguin Island, fishermen occasionally catch turtles with spearguns(Fontanllla and de Cells, 1978).Domantay (1953) gave a description of the egg collection methods inoperation after the War. Labourers were stationed on the three main TurtleIslands (Tanganak, Baguan and Langawan) to collect the eggs, which they didby probing the sand each morning, usually 6-9 a.m. At least twice a weekthey made visits to the other less productive islets to search for eggs.Several nests were missed by the collectors, particularly those laid furtherinland, but these were more susceptible to natural predation. The eggs wereusually dried in the sun and then transported for sale mainly in Tanganak.An annual closed season was Imposed from 1 May to 31 August on each of theseven Turtle Islands in turn, in spite of the fact that only three producedcommercial quantities of eggs. Thus the season was only effective in threeyears out of seven.Historical trends The Turtle Islands were leased to the British NorthBorneo Company by the Sultan of Sulu in 1678. They became part of thePhilippines by the Treaty of Paris, 1898, but continued to be administeredby the British until 1947. Domantay (1953) quoted figures calculated fromthe Deputy Treasurer's records which showed that the numbers of eggscollected in the Turtle Islands were 724 001, 433 223 and 963 437 in 1948,1949 and 1950 respectively. However he cautioned that these figures wereunreallstically low as they did not take into account the local consumptionby the collectors, and estimated that the annual collection was about1 401 450 eggs. Using the estimates of revenue provided, it Is possible toassign this to the three main islands in the proportions shown in Table160. Domantay said that the revenue from egg collection in 1951 was "farbelow the pre-war production" but that this was only due in part to adecline in turtle numbers and in part to inefficiency in collecting therevenue and other factors. Other aspects of the trends in egg yield arediscussed under "Trends in nesting numbers". The collection of eggs on theTurtle Islands has continued until the present. An Order prohibitingcollection in 1982 has apparently been superseded or is not enforced.There are early reports (1624, cited in White, 1981) which indicate that anextensive Hawksbill shell fishery once flourished In the Philippines. Seale(1971, cited in Gomez, 1979) estimated that 8000 kg of tortolseshell weregathered annually in the Philippines. During 1914, 2296 kg were exportedfrom Mindanao and Sulu alone. The occupying Japanese forces during WorldWar II killed many turtles, the total being estimated at "no less than20 000 to 25 000" (Domantay, 1953). Fontanllla and de Cells (1978) reportedthat fishermen had noticed declining catches of turtles, particularly aroundDavao del Sur. A survey In the southern Sulu Sea (Datuin, 1979, cited inde Cells, 1982) revealed that over the previous five years, each fishermanhad caught on average one or fewer turtles a day, whereas previously four aday had been a more usual catch. De Sllva (1982) indicated that Filipinofishermen and traders were active in catching and purchasing turtles (mostlyE. Imbricata ) in the waters around Sabah, and within the Philippineterritory. Polunin (1975) quoted an estimate that 5000 large C. mydas werecaptured annually In the Sulu sea. De Cells (1982) claimed that the424