World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

SENEGALEXPLOITATIONComnodlty C. mydas is captured by villagers along the Senegal coast,particularly around Saint-Louis, Cap-Vert, Saloum and Casamance (Maigret,1977). E. imbricata is said to be taken by the Betentl fishermen in theSaloum delta (Maigret, 1983), although there is said to be no shell industryin the country (Maigret, 1977). Previously, most of the turtles were killedfor subsistence use by the fishermen, but the meat is increasingly beingsold commercially (Anon., 1981b). Villiers (1958) described how the heartof a turtle was carried as an amulet by some of the people in the Cap-VertPeninsula, and was said to be able to cure heart disease.Hunting intensity The current levels of exploitation were thought to beposing a serious threat to the local turtle populations Anon., 1981b). Therarity of E. imbricata was said to be attributable to the fact that it washunted assiduously (Dupuy, 1986).Hunting methods There are no reports of the methods currently practised,although turning females on the nesting beaches (Villiers, 1958) was once,and probably still is, popular. The turtle fishery operating out of Joal inthe 1940s relied on turtles accidentally caught in shark nets (Brongersma,1982).Historical trends The hunting pressure, fuelled by commercial demand, issaid to have increased recently in Senegal (Anon., 1981b). There are fearsthat the catch of turtles will have further increased as a result of theSahelian drought, which has had the effect of increasing the demand forturtle meat and raising its price (Maigret, 1983). Cadenat (1949, cited byLoveridge and Williams, 1959) studied the turtle fishery out of Joal offSenegal from 1945 onwards, and found that out of a total of 296 turtlescaught, 256 were C. mydas and 23 were E. imbricata (Villiers, 1958).Maigret ( in litt. . 8 September 1987) reported that C. caretta andL. olivacea were also caught in this region.Domestic trade There is apparently a good tourist market for turtlecarapaces (Anon., 1981b; Verschuren, 1985).International trade Verschuren (1985) implied that turtles caught offMauritania were sold in Dakar, Senegal. Apart from scientific specimens,the only evidence of turtle trade contained in the CITES Annual Reports wasa single specimen of "Cheloni idae" reported as imported to Switzerland in1981, possibly indicative of a minor tourist trade.LEGISLATIONGame and Wildlife Protection Regulations, 30 May 1967.Prohibits the possession and trade of Testudines, including sea turtles.Marine Fisheries Code, 2 July 1976.Prohibits the taking, possession and sale of all species of sea turtle.Loi No. 86 04, Code de la chasse et de la protection de la faune, 24 January1986.Article D.36 lists certain species which are totally protected. Thesemay not be hunted or captured throughout the territory except underscientific permit, and the collection of eggs is also forbidden. Thelist includes sea turtles of the genera: Chelonia ,Caretta ,Lepidochelys , Eretmochelys and Dermochelys .454