World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

PHILIPPINESStuffing industry in Zamboanga City alone used 2000 E. imbricata and almostas many C. mydas a year. Limpus (1985) noted that there was a trend in thisstuffing industry towards using smaller turtles in recent years, indicatinga possible decline in the availability of large turtles.Domestic trade Turtle meat and eggs are said to be no longer sold openlyin Zamboanga City, although restaurants in Cebu City were still offeringturtle dishes (Rodriguez, 1984). A few turtles are sold as tourist items(Alcala and White, 1981), and a full-scale cottage industry for stuffungturtles operated in Cebu City, Mindoro and Zamboanga in 1977. Limpus (1985)confirmed that this industry still continued, specialising in the touristand export market. Prices quoted for turtle products in Zamboanga in 1979were: meat, US$0.50 a kg; bones, US$0.25 a kg; Hawksbill shell, US$25 a kg;and eggs, three for US$0.03 (de Celis, 1982).International trade Exports of tortoiseshell were reported in theCustoms statistics of the Philippines until 1982. These are shown inTable 163. Imports of raw tortoiseshell from the Philippines are alsoreported in the Customs statistics of the importing countries, and these areshown in Table 164. Both these tables indicate that the Philippines havebeen a major exporter of tortoiseshell, most of which goes to Japan,although the levels appear to have fallen in recent years. Japan's importstatistics indicate that, with the exception of 1974, most of the shell wasof E. imbricata .Philippines Customs statistics also report exports of worked tortoiseshellitems, and these are shown in Table 165. The majority of the exports wereto Japan. Imports of worked tortoiseshell to Japan are also shown in Table165. Formerly, there were large quantities of worked bekko, but recently,more has been classified as "worked tortoiseshell and articles thereof notelsewhere specified", indicating that it is not the shell of E. imbricata .but probably of C. mydas .Turtle eggs are also exported to Sabah, Malaysia, in substantialquantities. There is a large market for turtle eggs in Sandakan which,since the prevention of egg collection on the Malaysian Turtle Islands, issupplied mainly with eggs from the Philippine Islands (de Silva, 1984;F.S. Matillano in litt. . 23 January 1987).Japanese Customs reports Indicate that the Philippines has been one of themain sources of turtle skins. The quantities are shown In Table 166. Thereis no indication of what species of turtle was Involved.CITES Reports indicate that the Philippines was one of the major sources ofsea turtle products Intercepted on Import Into the USA. Most were reportedas bodies, shells or carvings, but are recorded together in Table 167 as"items". A few other transactions were also recorded.RANCHINGTask Force Pawikan maintains hatcheries on the Turtle Islands comprisingfenced-off sections of beach, covered with chicken wire. During 1983, morethan 13 300 eggs were transferred to the hatcheries. Hatching success ratesare normally 80-85%. Most of the hatchlings are released Immediately, but asmall percentage are taken to a rearing pond In Zamboanga City, where they425