World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

WESTERN SAMOAEXPLOITATIONContimodity Both Green and Hawksbill Turtles are caught for food. Theyused to be an important food source but their present scarcity means thatthey are now mainly eaten by village chiefs on special occasions (Witzelland Banner, 1980)Hunting intensity Human predation on E. imbricat a is severe, and mostnests which are not concealed by the Fisheries Division are collected(Witzell and Banner, 1980).Hunting methods Most Green Turtles are caught at night while they aresleeping on the sea bed. A bright gas lamp is fixed to the bow of a canoeand, when a turtle is seen, a diver descends to spear it or catch it byhand. Usually only small turtles can be caught in this way. Nets arerarely used, although one community on Savai'i apparently owned one(Witzell, 1982). Nesting females are caught on the beaches and eggs are dugout (Witzell and Banner, 1980).Historical trends The total population, and by inference the harvest, cfE. imbricata is said to have declined considerably (Witzell and Banner,1980) .Domestic trade Turtles are said to fetch a high price, and most aretaken by bus to Apia where they are sold to affluent Samoans (Witzell,1982). Two immature C. mydas (46-51 cm) were on sale in 1971 for $8.40each. There was reported to be a moderate demand for Hawksbill shelljewellery in the shops in Apia, but it might have been imported material(Hirth, 1971). McCoy ( in litt. , 24 August 1988) reported that he had seenno Hawksbill shell jewellery on sale in 1987-88.International trade Western Samoa is not a Party to CITES. The onlyrecords of trade in turtle products from Western Samoa contained in theCITES Annual Reports have been imports to the USA: three shells of C. mydasand one of E. imbricata between 1981 and 1983, and a single shipment of 24unspecified E. imbricata in 1981 for commercial purposes.The Customs reports consulted contain no reference to trade in rawtortoi seshell with Western Samoa. However, Fijian Customs reports recordimports and exports of worked tortoiseshell to and from Western Samoa. Thevalues of this trade are shown in Table 216. No trade was recorded from1979 to 1984.Table 216. Imports to and exports from Western Samoa of workedtortoiseshell reported in Fijian Customs Statistics. All values in Fijian $.1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 - 1985Imports 39Exports 370 104 523