Endangered species
> Hawksbill turtle |
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| Hawksbill turtle facts and issues |
Key issues | Facts
Key issues
Commercial tortoiseshell
Hawksbills are the sole source of commercial tortoiseshell, and are still hunted for domestic trade by many countries. Cuba and Dominica put forward a proposal to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 2002 to reopen international trade.
By-catch
Unknown quantities of turtles are killed as by-catch in nets. They become entangled and, unable to reach the surface, they drown. Longline fishing also ensnares and drowns turtles, as well as causing death by ingesting hooks, even though they may be released alive.
Tourism
The construction of sea walls, hotels, marinas, and the entire infrastructure associated with coastal tourism and commerce have destroyed large areas of turtle nesting beaches around the world. Associated light and noise pollution frequently deters female turtles from laying their eggs. Street lighting can also disorient hatchlings - which are naturally drawn to moonlight - so that they crawl away from the sea. Adult turtles are reported to display symptoms of acute physiological stress in areas of heavy coastal traffic, and can be deterred from coming ashore at all.
Toxic chemicals and pollution
Toxic concentrations of heavy metals - including aluminium, arsenic, cadmium, copper, iron, mercury, selenium and zinc - have been recorded in the tissues of stranded turtles. Phthalate esters (used in the manufacture of plastics and known to have mutagenic and carcinogenic properties) have also been found in turtle eggs. Solid debris such as plastic bags are also a threat, as turtles often eat them, leading to choking, entanglement and drowning.
Facts
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered (IUCN 2002. 2002 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species)
Although population figures are unclear, there are believed to be more than 8,000 adult nesting females in the world. (WWF International: www.panda.org//hawksbill_turtle)
It is estimated that the species has lost more than 80 per cent of its global population. (Resolution on Hawksbill Sea Turtles and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Resolution 2000-1: Passed by the membership on March 3, 2000 at the 20th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation.)
The hawksbill turtle has a pan-tropical distribution and has only rarely been recorded away from the tropics. Its range stretches from the east coast of Africa, across the Middle East and India to south Asia, and as far north as China. It is also found in the coastal waters of Australia, in the east Pacific from the US to Peru, and in the west Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Brazil.
Nesting tends to be more dispersed than other species. There are few major nesting colonies, and only five sites have populations with more than 1,000 females nesting annually (Wanted Alive: Marine Turtles in the Wild, 2000). |
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WWF-UK > Research > Issues > Species > Hawksbill Turtle > Facts and key issues
