An official with the Department of Environment has said fishing nets are one of the biggest threats to sea turtles.

Sea turtles are reptiles that have limited habitats on the southern coast of Iran for spawning, so these habitats should be protected not to disturb the turtles while laying.

Also, considering the place and time of spawning, people and tourists should also receive the necessary information to be cautious at the time of spawning and not move their eggs.

One of the biggest threats to sea turtles is being accidentally caught and killed in fishing nets, Mohammad Talebi Matin said.

Trapped in a net, the turtles are dragged through the water with no access to the surface to breathe, causing them to drown.

Five out of eight existing sea turtles are living in the Persian Gulf, he said, adding that they have been registered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Mainly, the green turtles come to the shores of the Oman Sea and the eagle-nosed turtles come to the shores of the Persian Gulf to lay eggs.

In addition to usual measures, studies and monitoring activities such as turtle tagging are also carried out every year. Free zones also cooperate with the Department of Environment in order to fulfill their social responsibility toward preserving these valuable species, he concluded.

Iran is home to 10 endemic species of turtles, five of which are sea turtles, and all five are endangered due to human activities, oil pollution, and coastal degradation and development.

These creatures date back to the time of the dinosaurs, over 200 million years ago. A total of 360 have been identified worldwide, from the oceans to the deserts, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, of which 187 are endangered and 127 are critically endangered. Many of these species are predicted to become extinct within the next century.

Turtles, like many species of animals, are valuable to the environment and ecosystem, but they face a variety of dangers and threats, including climate change, habitat destruction, and pollution, as well as illegal fishing and trade.

National plan for protecting sea turtles

The protection of these species in order to prevent their extinction is a fundamental issue to be considered in the country.

Davood Mirshekar, head of the marine ecosystem protection office at the Department of Environment, in March announced the development of a "national action plan for the protection of sea turtles", noting that sea turtles are an endangered species in our country. Measures to protect this endangered species are now on the agenda.

Cleaning the spawning grounds, census, and biometrics of turtles that go to the shores for spawning are among the measures taken every year to protect the species on the southern coast of the country, according to Mirshekar. Installation of warning signs on beaches prone to spawning and management of light sources - when the hatchlings go to sea - is another measure taken to protect turtles.

 

 

By TEHRAN TIMES