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Sea turtles of Madagascar – their status, exploitation and conservation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2009

Berthin Rakotonirina  and
Andrew Cooke
Berthin Rakotonirina
Affiliation:
Institut Halientique et des Sciences Marines (IHSM), BP 141, Toliara, Madagascar.
Andrew Cooke
Affiliation:
Institut Halientique et des Sciences Marines (IHSM), BP 141, Toliara, Madagascar.
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Abstract

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Five species of sea turtles are known from Madagascar's coastal waters. Fishermen on the western and south-western coasts take green turtle Chelonia mydas, loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta and olive ridley Lepidochelys olivacea for their meat. The hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata is taken mainly for its shell and for making stuffed specimens while the leatherback Dermochelys coriacea is seldom caught. Anecdotal evidence of fishermen and dealers in turtle products, measurement of captured animals and personal observations of the authors all point to declines in numbers and average size for green and hawksbill turtles, coupled with marked declines in nesting rates for these and the olive ridley.

Type
Research Article
Information
Oryx , Volume 28 , Issue 1 , January 1994 , pp. 51 - 61
Copyright
Copyright © Fauna and Flora International 1994

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