'So Excellent a Fishe'

Forest and Bird, Issue 306, 1 November 2002, Page 17

'So Excellent a Fishe'

In 1620 the Bermuda Assembly approved the first documented legislation for the conservation of marine turtles. Concerned that indiscriminate slaughter was leading to ‘...decay of the breed of so excellent a fishe ... the danger of an utter distroyinge and losse of them...’ an Act was passed that prohibited killing turtles with a carapace length less than 45 centimetres. Sadly, nearly four centuries later the plight of marine turtles is more critical than ever despite worldwide legislation for their protection. All marine turtles are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List (see Table), all are given the highest protection under the Convention Against Trade in Endangered Species (CITES, Appendix 1). Most countries have their own laws to protect turtles or their nesting sites. Nonetheless, conservation successes are few and the number of turtles continues to plummet in the face of massive over-exploitation

of adults and eggs, destruction of nesting sites, predation of eggs by introduced species, accidental death as a by-catch of the fishing industry, and pollution. Particularly poignant is the number of leathery turtles — the rarest and most endangered of them all — that choke to death on plastic bags, mistaking floating debris for their favourite food, jellyfish. Because no marine reptiles breed or are even resident in the New Zealand region the most significant contribution we can make to turtle conservation is to support the international initiatives to protect breeding sites, address the problems of fisheries by-catch, and eliminate the illegal trade in turtle products. Then we might just have the satisfaction of seeing more of these wonderful creatures in our coastal waters.