Conservation Fisheries Human impacts technology

Technology for Turtles: TurtleWatch Program to Protect Sea Turtles and Assist Fishermen

Paper: Howell, E. A., A. Hoover, S. R. Benson, H. Bailey, J. J. Polovina, J. A. Seminoff, and P. H. Dutton. 2015. Enhancing the TurtleWatch product for leatherback sea turtles, a dynamic habitat model for ecosystem-based management. Fisheries Oceanography 24:57-68. DOI: 10.1111/fog.12092

Sea Turtles

Figure 1. Loggerhead sea turtle. Photo Source: http://www.animalspot.net/loggerhead-sea-turtle.html
Figure 1. Loggerhead sea turtle. Photo Source: http://www.animalspot.net/loggerhead-sea-turtle.html

Everybody loves sea turtles, right? I know I do. Last Saturday was even World Turtle Day (not that that specifically applied to sea turtles, but they are included). Sea turtles are among the ocean’s charismatic megafauna. They play important roles in many habitats: grazers in seagrass beds, nutrient deposition in beach/dune habitats, and consumers of jellyfish, to name a few. They are also culturally important to many coastal peoples, some of which historically or currently harvest the eggs or adults themselves for their meat or carapaces (shells). They are also frequently depicted in art and have increasingly become the basis for ecotourism, including trips to protect sea turtle nest sites.

Figure 2. Leatherback sea turtle. Photo Source: Projecto TAMAR, http://naturalselectionsblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/whats-big-aquatic-warm-blooded-and-has.html
Figure 2. Leatherback sea turtle. Photo Source: Projecto TAMAR, http://naturalselectionsblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/whats-big-aquatic-warm-blooded-and-has.html

These conservation efforts exist because, unfortunately, sea turtle populations are threatened or endangered worldwide due to anthropogenic activities including coastal development, oil spills, encounters with marine debris such as plastic bags, and interactions with fishing gear. The latter is called bycatch, the unintentional harvest of non-target organisms when fishing. Fisheries are important in supplying food rich in protein to many human populations and as a major source of economic income. But, unfortunately, sometimes non-target organisms are captured and killed as a result of fishing activities.

The following case study describes an attempt at ecosystem-based management to balance the needs of humans and maintain biodiversity and sustainable resources. It also presents an example of dynamic management (a strategy in which the area managed moves as the target species does) for migratory species, such as sea turtles.

The Case of the Hawaiian Longline Fisheries

Figure 3. Longline fishing. Source: http://barnegatstaffordcommunitynews.blogspot.com/2010/09/discovery-channel-at-barnegat-light.html
Figure 3. Longline fishing. Source: http://barnegatstaffordcommunitynews.blogspot.com/2010/09/discovery-channel-at-barnegat-light.html

 

In Hawai’i, swordfish are harvested using pelagic longlines (Fig. 3). These types of fisheries have a problem with sea turtle and shark bycatch. As a result, these fisheries are regulated with a hard-cap. If the fishery exceeds the limit (or cap) for bycatch of an endangered species (for example 16 leatherback sea turtles), the fishery is closed for the rest of the year. Therefore, it is to the benefit of fishermen to avoid these species so they can continue fishing throughout the year.

 

 

A Possible Solution

But how to accomplish that? Well, NOAA came up with one possible way: TurtleWatch! Version 1 was designed by NOAA to minimize fisheries interactions with loggerhead sea turtles. Just look at that pretty and intuitive map below that TurtleWatch provides fishermen to help them avoid turtles (Fig. 4)! The program incorporated previous work that had determined that loggerheads were most often caught in the longline gear in the first quarter of the year in areas where sea surface temperatures were below 18.5° C and then modified (version 1.5) to specify the range between 17.5° C and 18.5° C. (Fig. 4). The first version of TurtleWatch was successful in shifting fishery behavior, encouraging fishermen to focus their efforts during different times of year and in areas not likely to overlap with loggerheads. This shift unfortunately may have increased the interactions between the fishery and leatherback sea turtles.

TurtleWatch version 1.5 Map example. The map displays sea surface temperature (color scale) and current directions (gray arrows) and indicates to the fishermen not to fish between the solid black lines at 63.5°F (17.5°C) and 65.5°F (18.5°C).
TurtleWatch version 1.5 Map example. The map displays sea surface temperature (color scale) and current directions (gray arrows) and indicates to the fishermen not to fish between the solid black lines at 63.5°F (17.5°C) and 65.5°F (18.5°C).

Therefore, we now have TurtleWatch version 2! The program was upgraded with data from fisheries, such as catch per unit effort—the number of target organisms, in this case swordfish, caught per “unit effort”, in this case defined as the number of hooks deployed—and bycatch from the fishermen’s reports and NOAA’s observer program, as well as from satellite tagging. Researchers found that leatherbacks migrating westward moved within waters with an SST range between 22.5° and 23.5°C, while those migrating east either used that same range or the range of 16.5° and 17.5°C. They also learned that catch per unit effort of the swordfish is, in some cases, actually lower where the turtles are most likely to occur. For example, catch per unit effort is lower east of the 140° W longitude line while leatherback occurrence is higher. Therefore, fishermen can both maximize their catch per unit effort and avoid turtle bycatch by remaining west of there.

Given the data, the new and improved TurtleWatch program produces a daily map just like previous versions with real-time ocean current and SST, but showing where both loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles are most likely to be. The program indicates where fishermen should focus their harvesting based on 2 rules: 1) a static boundary in which fishing occurs only west of 140° W and 2) a dynamic boundary to avoid fishing in SST ranges of 17-18.5°C and 22.5-23.5°C (Fig. 5). Pretty straightforward and useful, right?!?!

TurtleWatch version 2 Map. This map displays zones in which to avoid fishing. It blocks out Z1—east of the 140° W longitude line—, Z2—between 17°C and 18.5°C—, and Z3—between 22.5°C and 23.5°C. It still includes sea surface temperature as a color scale as well as current directions indicated with gray arrows.
TurtleWatch version 2 Map. This map displays zones in which to avoid fishing. It blocks out Z1—east of the 140° W longitude line—, Z2—between 17°C and 18.5°C—, and Z3—between 22.5°C and 23.5°C. It still includes sea surface temperature as a color scale as well as current directions indicated with gray arrows.

Significance:

Innovation is going to be important in finding solutions to our world’s problems. TurtleWatch is a very cool program that makes it easier for fishermen to avoid sea turtle bycatch that is detrimental to their fishery and their source of income. It is also a great example of dynamic management for migratory species, a field that will likely gain more attention and traction. I think this project describes one way in which technological innovation can benefit both endangered species and humans, reminding us that those two ends are not mutually exclusive! I personally would love to see more programs like this and hope it is successful!

Share Your Thoughts: What do you think of this program? Should/Could this type of technology be applied to other endangered species or spread to other regions of the world?

For more information:

http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/eod/turtlewatch.php

3 thoughts on “Technology for Turtles: TurtleWatch Program to Protect Sea Turtles and Assist Fishermen

  1. Turtles are very unique creatures. They are important to many cultures and are associated to lots of art. However, these animals are starting to become endangered, and not many people are aware of this. There have been many important attempts in trying to help preserve the lives of turtles, but a very effective system is the TurtleWatch. This system is very important because of something called bycatch. When fishermen are fishing, and they catch something they didn’t intend on catching through their nets, and sometimes end up killing whatever was involved. The first version of TurtleWatch was successful, and it helped to notify fishermen when and where would be the best time to fish to avoid catching, specifically, turtles. The second version has the same effects, but it also provides data from fisheries, along with extra information that helps improve how much they catch, without bycatch. Turtles are not only being threatened because of fishermen, but they are being severely hurt by everyday humans. Things like plastic pollution, oil spills, and accidental interactions with gear are a big part of putting turtles in danger. Not only can people who make a living through fishing help save our turtles, but so can we.

    A question for the author:

    How did you come across this piece of technology? Were you made aware of this because someone in your family is in the fishing industry, or were you researching how to preserve turtles and then you found this?

    1. Thanks for your interest in this topic! As a writer for this blog, I write a post about a topic that interests me and will hopefully interest our readers every month. I have previously interned for some amazing organizations that conduct sea turtle research and conservation, and sea turtles have swum their way into my heart. So sometimes when I look for research articles, I scan for new papers about sea turtles! That’s how I found this particular paper. And I was excited about the technology and its potential for protecting sea turtles while aiding fishermen at the same time. Most people think protecting endangered species will mean sacrifices on the part of people, but in this case, it’s a win-win!

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