Interaction of Marine Turtles with Fisheries in the Mediterranean

Abstract

At present, the impact of accidental catch on sea turtle populations is one of the most urgent problems that must be solved to ensure the survival of all these species worldwide. In the Mediterranean, too, all marine turtle species are affected by fishing activities, in particular the loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and the green (Chelonia mydas) turtles, which are more common than the others and are the only ones breeding in this sea. Since the Mediterranean populations of both species seem to be genetically isolated from the Atlantic ones (Bowen et al., 1992; Bowen et al., 1993; Laurent et al., 1993), fishing-induced mortality probably cannot be counterbalanced by immigration. This implies that the survival of the Mediterranean populations of these species depends to a great extent on the conservation effort that the Mediterranean countries carry on in the near future to reduce accidental mortality.