World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

SOLOMON ISLANDSManning Straits midway between Ysabel and Choiseul (McKeown, 1977; Vaughan,1981). The Wagina area, notably Haycock, and adjacent islands, is alsoimportant, and nesting is also known around Santa Ysabel, notably RamosIsland; in the Shortlands, notably islands near Kariki; also New Georgia andMakira.Nesting numbers There may be 800-950 nests in total in Santa YsabelProvince, with 650-700 of these on Ramos and the Arnavons, comprising 50-100on Ramos and around 560 on Kerehlkapa. The Arnavon group has been cited asthe largest known Hawksbill rookery in the Oceanic Pacific (McElroy andAlexander, 1979). Important nesting occurs in the Shortlands, with 400-500nests annually, half of these on islands near Kariki. Choiseul has some230-450 nests annually, with nearly 90% (200-400) on Haycock and otherislands around Wagina. New Georgia has an estimated 120-175 annually.Fewer than 50 nests occur on Mkira.These nesting estimates were derived mainly from interviews with localvillagers, and in part, particularly in Kerehikapa, from beach surveys. Thefigures available indicate 1425-1850 E. imbricata clutches are laid annuallyat the sites specified, with an annual nesting population of perhaps 500femalesTrends in nesting numbers Although long-term nest survey data are notavailable, all existing evidence, which is partly anecdotal, indicates asignificant decline in numbers in recent years throughout the Solomons(McKeown, 1977; Vaughan 1981). Vaughan (op cit.) summarises the evidence asfollows:1. Shell exports have declined steeply through the 1970s despite an equallysteep rise in the price paid to hunters for shell.2. All turtle hunters interviewed stated that Hawksbllls are less plentifulnow than formerly.3. Many nest beaches now appear to support greatly reduced nesting or nonesting; e.g. in the Arnavon group, an estimated maximum of 100 a weeknested in peak times within living memory (source in McKeown, 1977);present (c. 1980) nesting is around 560 a year. On Sikopo in 1963, onehunting party took 20 Hawksbills in two nights; in 1974 one hunter tooka month to catch 16. An informant on Haycock said that 1-5 Hawksbillnested every night throughout the year in the mid-1960s but In June 1980not a single turtle nested.4. At least one major feeding area, previously known as a good huntingsite, now holds few turtles.5. Mean carapace length of females nesting on Kerehlkapa has decreased overthe late 1970s, possibly indicating over-harvest of larger females.Nesting season On Kerehikapa, some nesting occurs virtually throughoutthe year, with a peak In May-August and a lesser peak in November-December(Vaughan, 1981).Foraging sites Suitable foraging areas would seem to be widespread inthe Solomon Islands; Hawksbills appear to be equally widespread, althoughnumbers may be concentrated to some extent along eastern Santa Ysabel, andmore so around Wagina, which may be the best E. Imbricata feeding ground Inthe Solomons (Vaughan, 1981)75