🚀 go-pugleaf

In article  (Jim Wellehan) writes:
>
>In article <22napb$fdn@menudo.uh.edu>
>svecp@Rosie.UH.EDU (dave moore) writes:
>
>>   The nesting turtle 
>>     population is increasing in spite of "losing" 2,000 hatchlings/year 
>>     to the program.  At least the program isn't hurting things too much.
>
>If the turtle population is increasing anyway, aren't there better ways
>the money could be spent? (preserving habitat, other more endangered
>species, etc.)
>
>Jim

There are many problems with the head-starting of sea turtles and 
at this time nobody know exactly the consequences of this for
the young turtles keep in captivity and released after.

Concerning the impregnation of the home habit of the sea turtles, there 
are many rumors, but only a few data. The best example of non-return
to the natal beach is for Dermochelys (Leatherback):
- In french Guiana, where the higher number of females lay in atlantic, the 
beaches are very unstable due to erosion, and after 10 years one beach could
not exist anymore... but the turtles come to another beach.
- A female tagged in french guiana has been seen layed in middle-west
africa.
Many data like this exist.
But it is true that there is a genetic structuration of the females 
according to the rockeries (see all the work of Bowen, B. these 4 last
years with mt DNA).

Concerning the increase or not of the populations of sea turtles, only
very long range data (25 to 50 years) permits to draw some conclusion
because the number of females nesting per year appear to be chaotic (in
the mathematical sense of the term).

Head-starting of young turtles is probably not the best solution, but is it
one. Others, like fishing net with TED (Turtles Excluded  Device) and
preserving habitat are probably much more important.

Marc Girondot
(I work on preservation on sea turtles in french Guiana)
Sorry for the faults in english.