1. Application of Science in U.S. Sea Turtle Management
PIRO sea turtle management slides for China mtng (April 2012)
Christina Fahy and Irene Kelly
National Marine Fisheries Service,
Pacific Sea Turtle Recovery Coordinators

2. Sea Turtle Protections
All sea turtles in the U.S. are protected under the Endangered Species Act (1973):
…“ to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered and threatened species depend may be conserved, and to provide a program for the conservation of such species…”
Illegal to: harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct
Convention on International Trade of Endangered Flora/Fauna

3. Endangered Species “List” and Critical Habitat (ESA)
Endangered – any species in danger of extinction Threatened – any species likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future Critical Habitat “the specific areas on which are found those physical or biological features (I) essential to the conservation of the species and (II) which may require special management considerations or protection” Critical habitat should be considered at the time of ESA listing or within a year (or when petitioned by the public)

4. “Recovery” = de-List the species
Recovery criteria (e.g. Pacific Leatherback Recovery Plan)
All stocks using U.S. waters have been identified to nesting (“source”) beaches
Each stock must average 5,000 females nesting annually
Nesting populations at “source beaches” are stable or increasing over 25 years
Foraging areas are maintained as healthy environments
Priority #1 tasks have all been implemented
Website:
2 – or a biologically reasonable estimate based on maintaining a stable popn in perpetuity

5. Sea Turtles of the U.S. Pacific EEZ
Leatherback turtle
(Dermochelys coriacea)
globally listed as endangered
North Pacific Loggerhead turtle
Caretta caretta
One of 9 “distinct population segments”, NP DPA listed as endangered in 2011
Will probably include a bit of information regarding source beaches for each of these.
Olive ridley turtle
Lepidochelys olivacea
Globally listed as threatened except Pacific Mexico breeding population, listed as endangered

6. Sea Turtles of the U.S. Pacific EEZ
Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
globally listed as threatened except for the Pacific Mexican breeding population and Florida breeding population (endangered)
Hawksbill turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricata)
globally listed as endangered

7. NMFS Protected Resources Program
Core Marine Turtle Management Activities
Implement the Endangered Species Act
Listing and Recovery
Cooperation with the States
Interagency Cooperation (consultations and biological opinions)
Int’l cooperation (e.g. CITES)
Permits
Implement priority activities of the
U.S. Sea Turtle Recovery Plans
4: listing (petition from environmental group) – 5 factors (threatened habitat, overuse, disease/predation, lack of regs or other natural/manmade factors), species of concern and status review, de-listing or down-listing or up-listing

8. Relationship Between Research and Management Programs
An important role of NMFS Science Center(s) is to undertake research necessary to inform management decisions
Tina, we feel this is important point to emphasize that the role of the SC is for conducting research that informs management to facilitate or achieve recovery. Its not whatever research they feel interesting (i.e., University-based research).

9. Research Data Applied to Management
Examples of applied research include:
Fisheries bycatch reduction technology applied to fishery management
Oceanographic and satellite telemetry data to identify important migratory and foraging habitats for fishery management
Genetic and tagging studies for stock structure assessment to direct fishery and regional management activities
We will expand somewhat on the fishery bullet #1, but can mention that bullets #2 & 3 will be presented on in greater detail in upcoming presentations (e.g., LH movements)

10. Interagency consultation (ESA requirement)
Requires federal agencies to ensure their activities are not likely to “jeopardize the continued existence of” any listed species or result in the destruction or modification of designated critical habitat
Jeopardize the continued existence of – reduce appreciatively the likelihood of both the survival and recovery of a species by reducing their reproduction, numbers or distribution

11. Step 9 -- “jeopardy/no jeopardy” ?
Model of Assessment Framework for Jeopardy Analyses
Step 4 -- Assess the Species’ Exposure
Step 1 -- Identify the Action
Step 2 -- Deconstruct the Action
Step 5 -- Assess the Species’ Response
Step 3 -- Identify the Action Area
Step 6 -- Assess the Risk to Individuals
Step 7 -- Assess the Risk to Populations
Task A -- Establish Environmental Baseline
Step 8 -- Assess the Risk to Species
Task B -- Diagnose the Species’ Status
Step 9 -- “jeopardy/no jeopardy” ?

12. Case#1 California drift gillnet fishery management
Fishery closed Feb 1 - April 30
May 1 - August 14, restricted to outside 75 nm
Fish primarily October-January
active vessels in late ’90s
Gear: inch stretched mesh
Length from fathoms
Depth of net from meshes, set >36 feet below the surface
Soak overnight, hrs
Broadbill swordfish

13. Leatherback interactions observed in the CA/OR drift gillnet fishery: 1990-2001
Observer coverage – 20% --

15. Origin of leatherbacks captured in CA/OR DGN

16. Leatherback Genetic Stocks - Pacific
(Dutton et al. 1999, 2007)
Eastern Pacific
Western Pacific
Malaysia

17. Estimated Number of Female Leatherbacks, Jamursba Medi, Papua, Indonesia

18. Sea Turtle Conservation Areas
Leatherback Closure Aug 15 - Nov 15
El Nino conditions will be declared when the second and third month preceding the month of the impending closure have water temperatures that are warmer then normal off southern California (e.g. if water temps for April and May are above normal, then fishery would be closed in June.
ITS
Estimated Entang. Est. Mort Observed
Leatherback in 3 yrs 6 in 3 yrs 1 per yr
Loggerhead 5 in El Nino Year 2 per EN yr 1 in EN yr
Loggerhead Closure
June 1 – Aug 31
(El Nino Yrs Only)

19. Effort has shifted since the closure and and it clearly has worked since only one Dc has been observed taken in the fishery since the closure over a decade ago.

20. Drift Gillnet Landings 1994-2006
year
vessels
Landings
(mt)
Ex-vessel revenue
1994
151
762
4,536,655
1995
134
701
4,190,568
1996
132
734
3,919,232
1997
121
664
3,166,095
1998
113
906
3,967,255
1999 97
597
2,785,199
2000 91
635
2,747,621
2001 82
351
1,541,152
2002 63
298
1,499,163
2003 54
198
1,025,092
2004 45
182
944,391
2005
220
1,184,545
2006 44
442
1,990,574
Since 1990, when NMFS approved observers were first placed on DGN vessels, the number of active vessels participating in the DGN fishery has ranged from a high of 129 vessels in 1990 and again in 1994 (Figure 6). The DGN fleet has been fairly stable since 2004 with an average of 37 vessels participating. The estimated number of days fished has dropped almost 75 percent from a high in 1990 of 4,078 days fished in 1990 to 1,103 days fished in Industry representatives attribute the decline in vessel participation and annual effort to regulations implemented to protect threatened and endangered marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds (PFMC, 2009). More specifically, much of the recent decline may be attributed to the leatherback closure although it is very likely the fishery was overcapitalized and the reduction in effort also reflects some fleet consolidation. It is believed that the closure especially affected vessels home ported north of Pt. Conception, and especially smaller vessels that have a harder time getting around the frequent rough waters near Pt. Conception.

21. Pacific Fishery Management Council
March 2012 meeting
Recommended to NMFS:
Consider limited re-opening of current closed area
2 weeks earlier
redrawing exclusion boundaries
Consider establishment of hard caps for sea turtles in drift gillnet fishery
Deadline: March 2013

22. Data used to consider critical habitat for leatherbacks:
Bycatch
Ship-board sightings
Shelf observations
Telemetry positions

23. Area Restricted Search (red) v. Transiting (black dots)
Leatherbacks (n=40 turtles) engaged in ARS behavior 21% of the time in the California Current Ecosystem
ARS behavior occurred in cool habitats, shallow, with high CHL, low energy areas
[Benson et al. 2011]
ARS --- increasing turning angle and/or decreasing speed

24. Petition to list Leatherback Critical Habitat off the U. S
Petition to list Leatherback Critical Habitat off the U.S. west coast
NMFS determined that “critical habitat” (physical and biological features that make U.S. west coast important habitat for leatherbacks and essential for conservation) include:
Prey – [jellyfish] of sufficient condition, density, distribution, diversity and abundance
Brown sea nettles (137 kg/day) Moon jellies (275 kg/day)
After the CHRT is convened, we begin to look at the available biological information. What are the features necessary for the species

25. Leatherback Critical Foraging Habitat Designation
NOAA final rule - Jan 2012
41,914 square miles from surface to 80 m depth
Primary constituent elements essential for leatherback conservation
Prey abundance, quality, quantity, and density
Activities to manage threats to prey? Entrainment, desalination, coastal runoff (pesticides), etc.
Dense seasonal aggregations of scyphozoan sea jellies
ESA requires designation of critical habitat for endangered species
Conservation = point at which ESA listing no longer necessary
Drift gillnet fisheries currently prohibited Aug 15-Nov 15
Although NMFS identified prey condition as a primary constituent element essential for leatherback turtle conservation during the agency’s leatherback critical habitat determination, little is known about the condition of sea jellies on California foraging grounds or their role in the trophic transfer of marine pollutants and biotoxins to leatherback turtles
(Benson et al., 2007; Dutton et al., 1999 and 2007; Shillinger et al., 2008)

26. Case # 2 Hawaii Longline Fishery Management
Basic intro to longlining operations – diff between shallow-set and deep-set
Leatherbacks tend to get entangled in the gear; hardshelled turtles tend to ingest the gear
--Most sea turtle-longline interactions occur in shallow-set gear; most turtles are landed alive
--In deeper gear, fewer turtles are caught

28. Research methods to reduce sea turtle interactions in longline gear
Hook type and size
Bait

29. Research in North Atlantic (US): hook type and bait
C. caretta
D. coriacea

30. Conservation Measures to Reduce Sea Turtle Interactions in U. S
Conservation Measures to Reduce Sea Turtle Interactions in U.S. Pacific Longline Fisheries
Since 2004, U.S. commercial longline fisheries targeting swordfish (shallow-set) operate under strict regulations:
*gear requirements (circle hooks & fish bait);
safe handling requirements (dipnets, de-hooking);
mandatory observer coverage (100%); and
turtle interaction limits (“caps”)
Safe handling & dehooking
Fish bait

31. Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery:
Switching from J hooks/squid bait to large circle hook/mackerel bait reduced pelagic longline fishery interactions with sea turtles by 90% (Gilman et al. 2007).
(WPRFMC 2008)

32. Product: TurtleWatch A science-based management tool to reduce North Pacific loggerhead turtle interactions
This slide is introduction or lead in to upcoming LH movement presentation, but included here to show how we’ve applied this research in our fishery conservation and management approach.
Utilizing satellite tracking data of loggerhead turtles in the central N.Pacific together with oceanographic and sea surface temperature data, the PIFSC developed this product called TurtleWatch to help reduce interactions with North Pacific loggerhead turtles by the Hawaii longline fleet. TurtleWatch is a map that provides up-to-date information about the thermal habitat of loggerhead sea turtles in the Pacific Ocean north of the Hawaiian Islands. The TurtleWatch map displays sea surface temperature and identifies the predicted location of waters preferred by the turtles. By avoiding fishing in the area around the 65.5°F temperature contour – area between the solid black lines (the brown region in the middle), interactions with loggerhead turtles can be reduced. The Science Center updates the product weekly, available on the website, which provides real time information to the fleet. NMFS PIRO recommends the use of this management tool and has incorporated it as a conservation recommendation for our longline fleet to help them avoid accidental interactions. TurtleWatch has been translated into Vietnamese and Korean, and could be translated into Chinese if requested.
(Howell et al. 2008)

33. U.S. Sea Turtle Management Activities
Ongoing activities are focused to reduce impacts from:
Nearshore/offshore fishery interactions
Boat strikes
Power plant entrainment
Disease (fibropapilomatosis)
Land use & waste-water
Coastal development
Tourism and public disturbance
Illegal harvest

34. NOAA responsible viewing guidelines for the public
As an example of our management activities in Hawaii, here we highlight our activities to manage tourism and public disturbance.
In light of an increasing green sea turtle population in Hawaii, combined with the fact that more and more turtles occur in near shore habitats throughout the Main Hawaiian Islands - on the beach and foraging close to shore -, NOAA has developed responsible viewing guidelines and signage (placed in strategic locations) in effort to reduce unnecessary interactions and disturbance of basking (resting on the beach), foraging or nesting turtles in the Main Hawaiian islands. We also support volunteer groups to help reduce disturbance to basking turtles and provide educational information to visitors. This picture is at Laniakea beach on the North Shore of Oahu that is monitored by a local community organization, Malama na Honu. Through our efforts NOAA encourages the public to Enjoy Turtles from a Distance.
This is a prime example of non-consumptive use benefiting turtles, the public, local communities, and local tourism economy in Hawaii.
Encourage the public to Enjoy Turtles from a Distance.

35. Ongoing International Fishery Management Activities
Promoting sea turtle conservation in the Regional Fishery Management Organizations (WCPFC, IATTC, ICCAT, IOTC)
Leading U.S. engagement in international agreements for sea turtles (IOSEA, IAC, SPREP)
Continuing Bilateral and Regional bycatch reduction work (circle hooks, TEDs, gillnets, pound nets)
Continuing to build capacity, encouraging observer programs, and promoting scientific exchange

36. Thank you!