Marzia Capasso
Administrative Collaborator
Ancona
In recent years, the conservation of Caretta caretta, a priority species included in the Habitats Directive and protected by numerous international Conventions, has taken on a strategic aspect for the Mediterranean basin, where professional fishing seems to pose the main threat to the survival of the species. Estimates made over the past few years suggest that in the Mediterranean each year more than 130,000 sea turtles of the species Caretta caretta turtle fall victim to bycatch by professional fishermen. About 70,000 bite the hooks used for swordfish fishing, more than 40,000 are trapped in trawl nets and about 23,000 in gill nets for a total of 133,000 catches with more than 40,000 cases of death. Impressive numbers and, moreover, decidedly underestimated: in fact, if we consider in this calculation all the EU fishing vessels and the thousands of small fishing boats operating in the African countries bordering the Mediterranean, we arrive more likely at an estimate of 200,000 catches and proportionally at about 70,000 deaths.
Catches of Caretta caretta sea turtle individuals made in professional fisheries occur accidentally with the intention of catching species of commercial interest. The part of a fishing gear catch that is composed of species and specimens that are not the direct target of the fishery, but are accidentally caught due to poor gear selectivity, are known worldwide as bycatch. Accidentally caught turtles thus represent a part so-called bycatch. The catch data of the last few years, the testimonies of fishermen and the increase in the interventions of the Recovery Centers along the Italian coasts, thus testify to the need to curb this phenomenon, which results in the injury or killing of many individuals and hampers the conservation of the species, which is in worrying decline in the Mediterranean. Another threat that still heavily affects post-capture mortality of sea turtles is the lack of adequate facilities and equipment and periodically updated staff within the Turtle Recovery Centers along the Italian coast. Instead, these centers, limited in number compared to the approximately 7500 km of coastline, are an extremely incisive and effective tool for reducing turtle mortality. Since their establishment in LIFE Tartanet, in fact, the number of recoveries of specimens in distress have increased exponentially (see below), totaling about 1450 recoveries from 2009 to 2012. In parallel, thousands of fishermen and citizens were raised awareness of turtle conservation and marine biodiversity protection.
Despite this, the specimens cared for by the Centers are still a small fraction of the approximately 200,000 turtles caught accidentally in the Mediterranean each year. In addition, some stretches of coastline still remain without structured Centers and/or facilities for turtles to temporarily rest. First, the Pelagie Islands MPA intends to have a Presidium set up according to the Guidelines that will collaborate with the Center in Linosa and Cattolica Eraclea (the provincial reference Center under regional regulations). Secondly, along the coasts of Emilia Romagna and Marche, areas with a high rate of beachings and incidental catches of sea turtles in Italy (the upper Adriatic is a feeding area) and with a high number of marinas, there is a need for a series of collection points with tanks for temporary staging. Given the gradual increase in Caretta caretta retrievals from the Centers, this situation therefore hinders timely and appropriate care and first aid interventions, which could save the lives of many specimens, and shows the need to further and continuously strengthen the existing Centers and establish a new Center at the Pelagie MPA and a series of collection points along the coasts of Emilia and Marche. The TARTALIFE project, promoted in Italy’s 15 sea-facing regions, fits into this complex issue and aims to reduce fishing-induced mortality of the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta and thus contribute to the conservation of the species in the Mediterranean Sea.
TARTALIFE aims to pursue the reduction of Caretta caretta mortality accidentally determined by professional fishing activities through 2 specific objectives:
Referent:
Programme: LIFE+
Web Site: https://tartalife.eu/it
Duration: March 1, 2018 - September 30, 2018
Budget: 4.220.000,00 €
Budget IRBIM: 711.968,00 €
Areas of Research:
Administrative Collaborator
Ancona
Researcher
Ancona
Referent:
Giuseppe Scarcella
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