If buoyancy control and free diving are the issues then there is one family of marine creatures that have them both down to an art form…
TURTLEFOLK
By Bob Whorton
Perfect buoyancy control and low air consumption are just two important skills that many divers can struggle to achieve let alone emulate. We are very fortunate to still be able observe these passive and gentle creatures with admiration as they effortlessly and purposefully go about their daily lives. However, the turtle has had a struggle to survive and recoup its population against overwhelming odds…
“Isn't it ironic that every creature deemed as cute or cuddly by the majority is the first to be exploited and murdered by the greedy for the minority?”
Taking a life to provide an obscure nick-knack for the arrogant rich has always angered and frustrated me. Turtles like many other marine creatures had been slaughtered to near extinction to satisfy a needless requirement. Only a few decades ago their rapidly depleting numbers had become quite justifiably, a world-wide issue. Even today the concern continues as the numbers of specific species decline. Internationally agreed restrictions on hunting and trapping have had little effect in some areas of the world supplying the inevitable black markets.
"Speak-up or the cute one gets it!"
Legislation
In 1970 concern for the turtle was formally endorsed by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species or CITES for short. This organisation (as in many similar cases) drew the attention of the international commercial organisations responsible for causing the problem but more importantly put a lot of pressure on related Governments too. The pressure inspired legislation in the turtle's favour and a world-wide ban was imposed on the import of Turtle products by most major countries, which obviously helped reduce the need for suppliers to fill order books… Not! Japan, (the biggest importer of Turtle shells) didn't actually get around to signing this CITES agreement until the middle of 1981. A ploy to pacify its international critics no doubt as it changed absolutely nothing; the imports kept on flowing in. The Nagasaki 'Bekko' (Turtle Shell products) industry was the culprit, putting pressure on to the Government claiming that the job losses would be unacceptable… However, I think that a loss of over $100 million per annum in related exports was nearer the truth. It wasn't until 1992 when mounting International threats effecting Japan's export markets forced them to comply.
The delay in Japan's action cost the lives of over 500,000 Hawksbill, Green, Loggerhead and Kemp's-Ridley Turtles.
This unacceptable figure had catastrophic affects on the turtles breeding capabilities resulting in a massive reduction in breeding pairs throughout the whole of Asia, Indian Ocean regions, Middle East and East Africa. Added to this, beaches developed for the tourist industry within these regions systematically removed the major nesting sites that turtles had used for literally thousands of years... things were looking grim!
Controlling the ban at root level to a certain extent has proven successful but enforcement is often difficult to achieve totally and fishermen left to their own devices will still take turtles from the water. Various fishing methods in tropical and subtropical waters are wholly indiscriminate and designed to catch anything and everything swimming…
Sulawesi
The Lembeh strait in eastern Sulawesi was the site of mass-murder by the unscrupulous Taiwanese fishing fleets. Miles of monofilament netting stretched across the area resulted not only in the deaths of turtles but also Manta, Whaleshark, Dolphin and Dugong etc. etc. The numbers killed per species over a 12-month period was shocking.
Cape Verde Islands
The Government of the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa loosely imposed a restriction on hunting turtle, however this has never been enforced to any extent allowing fishermen to capture as many as they can. I found this out first hand during an 18-week period in 1998 while working in the islands. The turtles are brought ashore alive, then left on their backs on the beach to bake to death in the hot sun… that can take days.
Arriving in the village of Cidade Vhela in southern Santiago we were confronted by such a sight (a sizeable Loggerhead), but alas there was nothing to be done for the poor creature… after 3 days it was done for. I expressed my disgust to the fishermen and quoted that even their Government condemns this practice (on paper), but I was told that it didn't matter, and this was a treat for the villagers… What can you do with people of such mentality – it’s a gene thing!
Further north on the Island of Boa Vista I was returning from visiting a friend's family to be surprised by a fisherman carrying a juvenile female Hawksbill, upside down on top of his head. Again my passion got the better of me, questioning his logic. I offered to pay $100 dollars (all I had) for the turtle but he refused and walked away, which confirmed to me what I had suspected previously, his IQ was less than that of the turtle but maybe that's why he had it on his head! Seriously though, this was one less female turtle to carry on the line.
The western beaches of the sparsely populated island of 'Mao' have been documented nesting places for turtles for centuries, (we were actually fortunate to see pairs of Loggerheads mating offshore) the fishermen knowing this wait for the turtles to appear and catch them. The French owner of nearby Hotel tried in vane to get the area protected by appealing to the CV government but to no avail.
These are just a few places where turtle abuse still goes on, but believe me the list is global.
Another detrimental influence affecting turtles is pollution of its habitat with run-off waste from commercial developments and tourist resorts. This may not affect the turtles directly but kills off its major food sources such as sponges and the lesser soft corals, without a food supply they leave, at best.
Better News
Well it's not all bad news, as visitors to the Maldives will have noticed. The Government there imposed a very strict ban on turtle abuse, formally assisting in the set-up of a full time protection agency based in Male. This one factor has seen a significant return in numbers of mature breeding adult turtles. Turtles are still victims of indiscriminate fishing techniques, but that's accidental of course and evades dialogue.
The Maldivian Government is justly proud of their involvement in this project; I was reminded during a recent meeting with the Minister of Tourism Mr Hassan Sobir. Mr Sobir is a diver himself (which has made a difference), witnessing first hand the growing numbers of turtle species visiting or resident around the Maldives.
They should be congratulated on their efforts instead of the usual slagging-off they have received internationally through the press in general.
Mr Ahmed Ramzi, the famous Maldivian Chef onboard 'RANI' explained to me that in the old days turtles were taken not so much for the shells but for their 'wonderful' flavour'. Eggs from pregnant females were used to make a very rich 'Rice Pudding' which was also very nice he said. "However, if we tried it now-a-days the Policeman would take us away in handcuffs!" He also added, "Some guests still ask if they can order it…"
Major nesting sites around the Maldives are kept secret and are monitored. However, one such nesting beach on the tourist resort Island of Ihuru is quite famous, but very well looked after too.
Any dive around the Maldives you are guaranteed to see at least one or two Hawksbill, Loggerhead or Green Turtle. The best site I have dived for sheer numbers and species per dive is on the outside of Laguna Beach Resort, at the Northern-most point of the South Male atoll. Here one dive in May this year we saw 11 individual turtles of three different species.
The increase in the number of turtles seen around the Red Sea is more than obvious to seasoned travellers. Hawksbill, the major species in the Red Sea are residents of almost every reef and can be seen during most dives. Loggerhead turtles are less commonly seen as they have a more pelagic habit, but do tend to surprise you on a safety stop.
The Egyptian Government, after intense lobbying formally introduced a Marine Park status for isolated and peaceful Zabargad, thereby protecting the most important of islands from turtle egg plunderers. Zabargad's beaches have the honour of being the safest and most popular 'Hatchery' in the whole of the Northern section of the Red Sea. In 1999 alone we counted 386 nest-pits on one stretch of beach. This long, wide beach is protected from the elements by a large fringing lagoon and steep hills to the rear. What also makes it ideal is the lack of any nocturnal land-based predators that might otherwise attack and take the young hatchlings as they appear from the sand, offering them an easier start to life.
Hawaii South East Asia and Malaysia too have seen a significant increase in turtle numbers due to a working protection and study strategy.
The Cycle of Life
Temperature, as in all reptilian species determines the sex of the offspring during the egg stage, cooler temperatures produce males; warmer females. Whether the mother has this on her mind when she digs out the nest-pit to any particular depth is not known, but research has shown that by the time the turtles reach maturity there is normally an even balance of both sexes.
The baby turtles leave the nest-pit as soon as the sand cools down enough to indicate sundown. The reason why turtle-mums prefer their nest pits with an eastern view is so that the emerging babies have the brightness of the moon to guide them in the direction of the sea. What can be confusing for the little critters born on beaches near resorts (for example) is exactly which light is the right light, more often than not they will scamper inland and can perish still hundreds of meters from the sea. Even when the babies are going in the right direction their passage to the sea is rarely uneventful, as predatory crabs, birds and animals are ready pick them off. The moon continues to guide them out to open sea, but here they can become confused again…
9th October '99 we were moored off the eastern lagoon of Zabargad. The brightest light that night was the rear deck light and as a result the rear of the boat was surrounded by energetic little greenri turtles assuming their journey was over. This was a chance for us to admire these little creatures, perfect in every detail, filled with life and totally cute. It would have been cool to think that these were the offspring of the turtles we saw mating here during the previous June. After the encounter the lights were extinguished and the moon took over.
Once on their way the tiny turtles begin a totally aquatic life near the surface of open water living off their genetic wits on a journey that will often take them hundreds of miles from their birthplace.
As a turtle grows, its diet changes from algae and plankton to that of sponge and mustard coral found amongst shallow reef tops and large expanses of sea grass. Turtles are also partial to jellyfish, small molluscs found on sea grass and even carrion. Almost every waking hour is spent searching for suitable grazing at depths from a few metres to well over 40m. A grazing turtle helps check the spread of encroaching sponges that would otherwise eventually take over an entire reef leaving no space for coral to grow. If approached carefully by divers a feeding turtle will pay little notice unless forced to react to a situation it classes hostile. Due to its specialised metabolism and the ability to extract large amounts of oxygen from the air into solution the turtle can spend approximately 2 hrs underwater between breaths in a relaxed mode. However, if the turtle has to expend its oxygen supplies by eating or swimming surfacing becomes more frequent.
Any stress induced into a turtle will raise its heartbeat substantially, so never ever consider riding one you could end up drowning it!
It is not unusual when observing a turtle at close quarters while eating to have it leave for the surface, replenish its lungs then drop straight back to the same spot to carry on eating.
In May 2000 I was lying on the sandy bottom of a channel north of Ghuli Island in the Maldives watching two turtles feeding on a large yellow sponge. The two periodically swapped places at the sponge - taking turns to eat. One individual left for the surface, I carried on observing the other until I felt something land on my legs. I twisted around as best I could to see the same individual had returned using my legs as a perch… extraordinary!
The oldest turtles I have ever seen were encountered in the Maldives too, estimates put their ages at around 100 - 110 years old. The Carapaces of these two Hawksbills are so dishevelled they look more like scrap yard waste, making them very difficult to spot amongst the broken coral heads.
Sexual maturity is reached when the turtle reaches 30 - 40 years… which is a long wait, but they need to maintain their good eyesight. Most species have predetermined mating areas, usually not too far from a suitable nesting beach, maybe even the one that they themselves were born on. The males arrive first in great numbers, and stay very vigilant, on the look out for receptive females. One by one the females arrive; the surrounding water fills with the scent of 'Lurve'. The mating ritual can become a little torrid as up to 4 0r 5 males end up accosting one female, it's not a time for a weak grip as the strongest always gets the honey!
Mating offshore can be hazardous in two ways: The hormones released by the female will attract predatory Tiger Sharks. Exhausted couples are no match for the speed and cunning of the shark who will take them alive or chase them down until they drown. Secondly, large mating couples can be seen from miles away (as was the ritual we saw in Cape Verde), this attracts fishermen who will noose them before they can regain their breaths and dive to safety. Mating takes a lot out of both parties; they need at least 10-15 minutes to recover (very noisy gasps) before going their separate ways. Tired females are especially vulnerable having just left the nest sites, they have barely the strength to reach the sea let alone evade a predator of any description.
In reality figures of around 2 - 5% of those born will survive to reach maturity, which is pretty harsh and sad, and a good reason why as many egg sites should be protected as possible maybe then this tiny percentage can envelop an even larger number of surviving 'Turtlefolk'…
We can all play our part in the protection of these wonderful creatures by educating the less informed or neurologically challenged; by admiring their skills but respecting their limitations…