Originally published August 6 2005
Sea turtles find a safer haven
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A new type of fishing hook has been developed that will prevent the death of thousands of sea turtles.
Preliminary results from the first large-scale test of specially designed fishing hooks indicate they can reduce the number of endangered sea turtles killed in long line fishing operations by as much as 90 percent, while having almost no effect on the catch rate of targeted fish.
"This is a win-win situation," said Moises Mug, Fisheries Coordinator for WWF's Latin America and Caribbean program.
"We were looking for a way to save the turtles without putting the fishermen out of business.
The preliminary results indicate we've found it."
Incidental death as a result of traditional long line fishing operations, known as bycatch, is one of the main reasons for the precipitous decline of loggerhead turtles and of giant leatherback turtles, whose numbers in the eastern Pacific have plunged by more than 90 percent over the past 20 years.
The study -- for which WWF and others provided financial and logistical support -- took place over the past year in Ecuador's tuna and mahi-mahi fisheries and involved 115 Ecuadorian fishing vessels.
The reduction in bycatch occurred when the boats replaced their traditional 'J' shaped hooks with specially designed circle hooks, which are less likely to get swallowed by turtles.
Also encouraging was the fact that catch rates for tuna were almost identical regardless of whether circle or 'J' hooks were used.
WWF is conducting or supporting turtle conservation work in 45 countries and is also engaged in extensive international turtle conservation policy discussions.
In 2004, WWF launched a global competition called Smart Gear to find the most practical, innovative designs for fishing gear that reduces wildlife deaths.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml