Organization - 1 Where:Where: –Go to the fishers and their community –Close to landing areas, co-ops centers When:When: –Time of day fit to their routine. (night may facilitate projection, but fatigue)(night may facilitate projection, but fatigue) –Match fishing season

Organization - 2 ContactsContacts –Government: Fisheries, Environment, etc. –Reach those that are in contact with fishers –Avoid those in police roles –Industry –Leadership of all sectors (individuals, Chambers) –Local leadership (co-ops, etc.)

Organization – 2 (cont.) Environmental community, ecologistsEnvironmental community, ecologists –Identify sensible ones –Identify common objectives Develop partnerships across all sectorsDevelop partnerships across all sectors Build trust and credibility in the teamBuild trust and credibility in the team

Organization - 3 Displays and props –Sea turtle and fish posters –Maps of region, oceanography, bathymetry –Hook photos or displays –Dehookers and other equipment –Photos from worhshops in nearby or same community

Organization - 4 Duration: –The shortest you can without rushing or cutting material that makes explanations more difficult –Take time to explain more difficult figures, plots, charts; they will understand –Dont waste time with subjects that are of scientific interest but irrelevant to them

Organization - 5 Contents:Contents: –Who are you –Why are you there: the turtles have a problem –Why is that the fishers problem –There is a solution, but not much time –Only if they all pull together they can succed –And this is how you do it

SUBSECRETARÍA DE RECURSOS PESQUEROS Con apoyo técnico de: Martin Hall - Comisión InterAmericana del Atún Tropical John Mitchell, Charles Bergman y Yonat Swimmer - Administración Oceánica y Atmosférica Nacional de los EEUU (Pesquerías) María José Barragán - Alianza Jatun Sacha/CDC Ecuador

blanca o golfina blanca o golfina 7 quillas o laúd carey negra cabezona o caguama

palangre arrastre Cerca de 800 asistentes There is a large effort in the region

Scientists worried

The public learns and responds … pressure builds What to do to save the turtles ?

Los abajo firmantes hacemos un llamado a las Naciones Unidas, a los Estados Unidos y a otras naciones para que declaren una moratoria a la pesquería de palangre pelágico del Pacífico, a la de enmalle, y a otras técnicas de pesca que causan mortalidad de tortugas laúd, hasta tanto esas actividades se puedan llevar a cabo sin dañar a la especie …………………………………………………………………………….. Pedido de moratoria a las Naciones Unidas Shut down the fisheries or stop purchases of species that drive longline fisheries (mahi-mahi, tunas, swordfish)

Número de nidos de tortuga laúd en la Playa Mexiquillo The evidence is very solid Sarti et. al. (1996,2000,2002)

Número de hembras anidando en Parque Nacional Las Baulas, Costa Rica Parque Nacional Las Baulas, Costa Rica From Spotila, Paladino and Reina 69 02/03 The scoreboard

Número de nidos de tortuga laúd en Terengganu, Malasia

Tortugas Laúd Número de Hembras adultas Todo el Pacífico , , ,490 Pacífico Oriental Pacífico Oriental 19954, ,690

Preliminary results – extinction risk analysis using methods of Dennis et al. (1990) and Holmes (2002 and in press). Crowder et al., in prep. Probabilidad de extinción Tortuga laúd de Playa Grande, Costa Rica Tortuga laúd de Mexiquillo, Mexico Años en el futuro There is not a lot of time to find a solution There is not a lot of time to find a solution

Leatherback Turtle The largest turtle- 900 kg, over 2 m long It migrates from Mexico to Chile and from Malaysia to California The deepest diving animal (to 1000 m, as deep as a whale)

¿Está la tortuga laúd en peligro de extinción? Laúd = Baula = 7 cueros Local names: 3 cueros, 7 filos, 3 filos, tinglada, gigante, garapacho, etc.

Dutton, Eckert & Benson (unpublished) What do they have to do with the problem since the turtles nest in other countries?

Leatherback migrations (Dutton et al., unpublished data; Eckert & Sarti 1999 and unpublished)

Leatherbacks Loggerheads Drifting Dead Month (number) IATTC – observ. - CIAT We dont have a clear cause of death, and we know there are other sources of mortality

Black turtle Drifting Dead Month (number) IATTC – observ. - CIAT

Olive ridley Drifting Dead Month IATTC – observ. - CIAT

Capture rates 0.03 turtles/1,000 hooks (range ) 0.75 turtles/year 0.75 turtles/year if they fish 100 hooks/night, 5 nights/week, 50 weeks/year It is difficult for individual fishers to perceive the problem 30 million swordfish hooks 650 million tuna hooks (Lewison et al., in review)

Very important points But we know some are killed in the fisheries, (in most fisheries) If somebody else is killing more turtles it doesnt help you to get off the hook Dont waste time, and energy blaming others Deal with your share of the problem, and then..

HELP the others with problems to deal with them;HELP the others with problems to deal with them; or, push the government to address the issuesor, push the government to address the issues You (the fishing community) should become involved in addressing other sources of mortality (e.g. for consumption or sale, or caused by ingestion of plastics, etc.) …. because ………….You (the fishing community) should become involved in addressing other sources of mortality (e.g. for consumption or sale, or caused by ingestion of plastics, etc.) …. because ………….

THE ONLY WAY OUT IS TO CHANGE THE SCORE IN THE SCOREBOARD (the number of females nesting) (the number of females nesting) - people can talk about things, make promises, and then do nothing - at sea you are mostly by yourself, and nobody is checking what you do But if the turtles keep declining you are done.

Even if you are doing everything you can, You still need the others to do their share too; It is not their problem; it is still your problem. –YOU ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, AND YOU NEED TO PULL TOGETHER

Cabezona Verde Laúd Nidos en Refugio Carr, Florida Ehrhart, 1999 But in other places, where the turtles have been protected, they are recovering. It can be done.

Percent of captured turtles incidentally killed in all sets Porcentaje de tortugas capturadas muertas incidentalmente en todos los lances

NOAA Fisheries – Pascagoula, Lab John Watson (in spirit) Charlie Bergman ) Yonat Swimmer NOAA Fisheries – Hawaii Lab IATTC John Mitchell SRP ProbEcuador María J. Barragán Fund. Jatun Sacha Ing. Luis Torres SRP ProbEcuador

Interactions with the whole community