World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

VENEZUELAforaging in Venezuelan waters), and of E^ i mbr i cata at Los Roques , mainly bylocal fishermen, has had an adverse impact on the species involved.EXPLOITATIONCommodity The meat and eggs of C. mydas are consumed along the coasts ofVenezuela, and its shell is sometimes used by artisans. E. imbricata is noteaten, but its eggs are, and it is frequently killed for its shell(Pritchard and Trebbau, 198A). There is said to be some medicinal use ofoil and other parts of E. imbricata (Medina et al , 1987).Hunting intensity In spite of legal protection, hunting of turtles stillcontinues along the coasts and islands of Venezuela. Two of the main areasfor hunting C. mydas are the Peninsula de Paraguana and Estado Sucre wherethey make an important contribution to the local economy. E. imbricata iskilled particularly on Isla la Tortuga, where Pritchard found largequantities of bones in 1983, the shell reportedly having been sold In IslaMargarita. A total of 50 t of marine turtles were said to have been killedannually in the Archiplelago los Roques up to 1973, and egg predatlon on ti.eIslands was said to be intense, 39 out of 53 E. imbricata nests having beenrobbed (Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984). Turtles killed by Venezuelanfishermen have traditionally been used to supply the market in theNetherlands Antilles, and this trade still continued in Curasao in 1986(Sybesma, 1986). Medina et al (1987) estimated, on the basis of fiveyears' observations, that 468 C . mydas and 71 E. imbricata were killed eachyear in Venezuelan waters, the great majority around Isla Margarita.Hunting methods Most turtles are caught In nets or by turning on thebeaches, but there is an old report of the use of remoras at La Gualra in1885. The coastal fishermen, when they found a fresh nest, used to lie inwait for females returning to lay 15 days later (Pritchard and Trebbau,1984) .Historical trends The Green Turtles nesting on Isla Aves , because of Itsisolated position, have for long been harvested by fishermen from otherCaribbean islands. Labat's (1725) description of Frenchmen spending fourmonths fishing for Hawksblll and Green Turtles on the "lies de la Tortllle"was Interpreted by Parsons (1962) as a possible reference to Isla Aves.Around 1960, two St Luclan sailing vessels used to take 50-60 turtles a tripfrom the island to Dominica, making about six trips a season. The totalnumber of Green Turtles passing along this route was estimated to be 400 ayear. Other turtles were taken directly to St Lucia, some destined foronward shipment to Europe (Parsons, 1962). In the 1970s, boats fromSt Lucia, Dominica and Martinique continued to make visits to the Island,but the establishment of a permanent garrison is now thought to have put astop to this (Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984). The Island of Blanquilla wasthe site of a turtle-curing station which sent jars of meat to the mainlandat the turn of the century (Parsons, 1962).Domestic trade Green Turtle meat was reported to be available inrestaurants in Coro, Estado Falcon in 1983, and to be widely sold in EstadoSucre. In the 1960s, eggs sold for 50 centavos for three and meat was only3 Bollvares a kg, about half the price of goat meat. The shell of C. mydashas occasionally been used by artisans In Margarita and eastern Venezuela(Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984). In 1987, eggs were Bsl-3 each and meat wasBslO-45 a kg. A whole C. mydas was said to be worth Bs700 (Medina et al .1987)553