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Project: Save Turtle Run: Understanding Incidental Turtle Bycatch by Longline Vessels
Type of business:
  • Fisheries
Contact:
pybrachelet.aripa974@gmail.com

Project Manager:
Pierre-Yves Brachelet (Réunion Interprofessional Association for Fisheries and Aquaculture)
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Our partners
Related documents:
Kit Usage Guide:
Self-assessment form:
A citizen science project for longline fishermen in Réunion aimed at adopting best practices for the release of accidentally caught sea turtles and studying the environmental conditions surrounding these encounters.

In 2023, the MSC-certified longline swordfish fishery was selected by the MSC Science and Research Fund to receive a grant for the Save Turtle Run. Its goal is to identify the factors contributing to the incidental capture of sea turtles by longline vessels.

TheARIPAis carrying out this project in collaboration with CITEB, the Kélonia Sea Turtle Care Center, the CRPMEM of Réunion, and the producer organization O2PC. It began in 2023 and will conclude in mid-2025.

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The objectives of this project are:

  • 🐢 Training fishermen in the identification, handling, and release of captured turtles
  • 🐢 Best practices for bringing a turtle to the care center when the hook is not visible
  • 🐢Distributionof kits that allow hooks to be removed safely for both the turtle and the crew
  • 🐢 Train captains in self-sampling to strengthen the system for reporting incidental turtle catches
  • 🐢 Collect data on turtle bycatch (frequency, species, GPS coordinates, etc.) through voluntary reports from fishermen.
  • 🐢 To study the environmental factors that contribute to the presence of sea turtles in fishing areas.

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This project meets the certification requirements because it improves data on bycatch and proposes solutions to reduce mortality among these protected species. Its aim is to provide insights for a better understanding of sea turtle bycatch by longline vessels.

Caouanne aboard a longline vessel
Leatherback turtle caught on a fishing line
Green sea turtle at the Kélonia Conservation Center

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By the end of December 2024, Citeb had recorded 86 turtles that had been caught (either released or brought ashore). Fishermen cooperated fully with this project, and many captains became increasingly motivated to participate as it progressed. Several of them had already been bringing turtles to the care center for years; however, this project provides them with appropriate tools and allows them to share valuable data for scientific research.

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Identifying certain key environmental factors could help us understand the incidental capture of turtles by longline vessels in Réunion and, as a result, propose targeted avoidance measures.

A video of the project funded by the MSC Sustainable Fisheries Fund is available here