Marine turtles are under threat for a variety of reasons. In many parts of the South Pacific and
in other parts of the world, people hunt adult turtles, especially nesting females, while eggs are
harvested from nesting beaches. Turtles are also caught accidentally by the fishing industry.
This is known as by-catch. Turtle habitat, such as nesting beaches, is under threat from
growing urban areas. And pollution of the marine environment can lead to turtle disease and
death and a consequent decline in turtle populations.

• Hunting of adult turtles and egg harvest

Many Pacific Islanders have enjoyed turtle meat and eggs for thousands of years. In
many communities, turtles are seen as a gift of special food. In some parts of Papua New
Guinea, marine turtle nesting season corresponds with the “hungry time” when gardens
are laid fallow after heavy production of root crops. In more recent years, with the
explosion of interest in turtle sales (of meat, shell and oil), people have begun taking all
of the eggs and killing more turtles than the population can sustain. In some cases, the
loss of kastom knowledge with the passing of community elders, who traditionally issued
kastom tambus on turtles regarding when they could be taken and in what numbers, has
led to an increase in turtle and egg harvest.

In Malaysia, for example, the largest numbers of leatherback turtles occurred at Rantau
Abang and Terengganu areas. In the 1950s, 10,000 nests occurred yearly. By 000, this
number had dropped to 0. Today there are likely even fewer in this area. This decline in
numbers has been attributed to excessive egg collection and exploitation.

• Turtle By-catch

Long lining for tuna is a major income earner for many Pacific countries. This type
of fishing practice consists of baited hooks hanging from a long drifting line from the
surface of the sea with a number of floats. These long-lines are set with several hundred
baited hooks to catch ‘target’ species such as tuna. Long-lines also catch other kinds
of unwanted fish and other marine animals such as pelagic rays and sea turtles. This
unwanted catch, which has no commercial value is called “by-catch”. Sea turtles are
protected under various international and national laws and hence, the general public as
well as the fiishing industry, is concerned about any action, such as long-line fishing, that
threatens endangered species. Many organizations such as South Pacific Commission
and Forum Fisheries Agency are working with long-line fisherman to reduce turtle
by-catch by supporting the use of special hooks that are less likely to catch turtles and
working to train fisherman to release turtles form long-lines in a safe manner. Fishing
trawlers also have a major impact on marine turtle populations as turtles can become
tangled in nets, and often die.

In many countries throughout the world, humans have made dramatic changes to coastal
environments. Expanding communities, whether villages, towns or large cities in coastal
areas, cause a loss of suitable nesting beaches for turtles. In many parts of Australia, the
South Pacific and Asia, tourist resorts on nesting beaches mean increased lighting and
human activity, two things that prevent turtles from using a nesting beach.

• Pollution of Marine Environment

Pollution of coastal areas and deep-sea waters is bad for turtles. Oil spills from ships,
toxic runoff from urban areas or farms, chemicals used by heavy industry that get into
our waterways, are often poisonous to marine species such as turtles. Rubbish also
causes many problems for marine turtles. They often get tangled in discarded fishing
nets. Turtles sometimes mistakenly eat rubbish thinking it is food. Leatherback turtles,
especially, often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and eat them, causing them to get sick
and die.