Incidental Catch Rates

Due to the size of the Mediterranean Sea and the multi-national nature and number of fishing vessels which operate within its waters, a study which covered every fishing trip and every catch of a turtle would be impossible. However, many studies have been made into specific areas within the Mediterranean Sea, particularly on the South Italian coast, the Spanish coast and Balearic Islands and the Ionian Sea around Kephalonia.

The information gathered was through co-operation with local fisherman and their willingness to report the numbers of Turtles caught.

Data from Ionian Sea - long-line fishing vessels based in Kephalonia

Year	Period of study	No. of Turtles Caught	% fishing trips where one or more turtles were caught
1993	February - September	43	17%
1994	May - September	13	15%
1994	May - September	13	15%
1995	June - September	4	6.7%

NB After 1993, 5 or 6 boats stopped fishing with long-lines in the research area. This partly explains the drop in catch numbers. All data from PANOU et al. (see Publications section for details)

Data from Southern Italy: Coast of Taranto - long line and drift-net fishing vessels based all along the coast

Year	Period of study	No. of Turtles Caught	% fishing trips where one or more turtles were caught
1978	February - September	226	no data
1979	February - September	968	no data
1980	February - September	287	no data
1981	February - September	341	no data
1982	February - September	140	no data
1983	February - September	0	no data
1984	February - September	110	no data

NB The decline in declared turtles caught in the early eighties is believed to be due to pressure from environmental groups and enforcement of laws regarding nets. It is suspected that the actual figures escalated rather than declined in the early eighties because the fishermen did not wish to admit to catching turtles as this would attract attention towards their activities.

Further comment from the researcher said that the number was greatly in excess of these figures according to a reliable local fisherman. A more realistic figure is that a fleet of 29 fishing vessels each with 12km of net would catch 16000 specimens in a season in those waters.

Data From South Western Mediterranean Sea - Long-line fishing boats in the Spanish fishing waters in the SW Mediterranean Sea.

Year	Period of study	No. of Turtles Caught	Estimated % fishing trips where one or more turtles were caught
1990	July - September	673	60%
1991	July - September	425	55%

NB Data was only recorded on long-line fishing boats. Data for year, period of study and turtle number is form AGUILAR et al. 1990, 1991. Estimated % were calculated by LEE (1996).