Bycatch of sea turtles is of grave concern in Malaysia, where 2,000-4,000 turtles are estimated killed each year in trawl fisheries. Fortunately this mortality can be mitigated with Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs). The Marine... [ view full abstract ]
Bycatch of sea turtles is of grave concern in Malaysia, where 2,000-4,000 turtles are estimated killed each year in trawl fisheries. Fortunately this mortality can be mitigated with Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs).
The Marine Research Foundation (MRF) worked closely with the Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DOFM) and the Department of Fisheries Sabah (DOFS) to successfully introduce TEDs in Malaysia, starting in 2007 with volunteer trials in Sabah, and culminating with legal requirement for TEDs in 2017 with staged National implementation by 2022.
However, TED uptake requires buy-in from fishers and needs to be demonstrated to be effective. To boost buy-in, MRF commissioned a professional video in three languages, conducted site visits to the US with fishermen and DOFM and DOFS officers, developed a portable fuel-flow meter to measure fuel savings, and developed a real-time video system (TEDsCam) using GoPro cameras and drone technology to deliver live video feeds to boat captains.
To measure impact, MRF calculated fuel savings and translated these into CO2 emissions savings, and used fishing effort and past statistics to determine number of turtles potentially saved by the fishery. We estimate saving up to 1000 turtles per year and 150,000 kg of CO2 emissions per year at the current implementation stage, and for this to quadruple once full National adoption is reached. Together with buy in from the government and fishing communities across Malaysia, the adoption of TED enhances the conservation of sea turtles and reduces the National carbon footprint, while ensuring preservation of fisher livelihoods.
Topics: Fisheries, aquaculture, and the oceans , Topics: Other
