Abstract
It has been estimated that 44,000 Caretta caretta turtles die every year due to anthropomorphic activity in the Mediterranean Sea, and that longline fishing is one of the most significant causes of mortality. A total of 482 specimens of C. caretta were rescued from different parts of the Sicilian coast (Mediterranean Sea) from 2014 to 2016. The most numerous stranding was recorded during the spring and summer seasons, mainly along the north and eastern coasts of Sicily. The curved carapace length for all the specimens ranged from between 19 and 95 cm and most of these were young or sub adults. The highest number of strandings was recorded in 2014 and 2015, with 206 and 169 individuals, respectively. A total of 66 live specimens out of 239 were successfully rehabilitated and released after surgery or drug therapy; fishing hooks were found in 129 specimens in different parts of the digestive tract with greater frequency in the oesophagus (47.3%) followed by the gut (24.8%), stomach (14.7%), and mouth (13.2%). This paper will highlight the incidence of the incidental catch by longline fishing of C. caretta along the Sicilian coasts and also relate the size of ingested hooks to the size of examined specimens.
Highlights
One of the primary causes of loggerhead sea turtle stranding is incidental capture by fishing gear with particular reference to longline fishing (Camiñas & De La Serna, 1995; Laurent et al, 2001; Lewison, Freeman & Crowder, 2004; Camiñas-Hernández et al, 2006; Casale, Freggi & Rocco, 2008; Di Bello et al, 2013; Blasi & Mattei, 2017)
Extrapolating from the 3-year dataset in this study demonstrated that the greatest number of strandings occurred along the north and east coasts of Sicily (Fig. 1), with spring and summer being peak seasons for strandings (Fig. 2; Table 1)
The data obtained in this study highlight the significance of incidental catch of loggerhead sea turtle by longline fishery along the coasts of Sicily
Summary
One of the primary causes of loggerhead sea turtle stranding is incidental capture by fishing gear with particular reference to longline fishing (Camiñas & De La Serna, 1995; Laurent et al, 2001; Lewison, Freeman & Crowder, 2004; Camiñas-Hernández et al, 2006; Casale, Freggi & Rocco, 2008; Di Bello et al, 2013; Blasi & Mattei, 2017). Small to large-scale fishing fleets, mainly using longline, are primarily responsible for the bycatch of loggerhead sea turtles in the Mediterranean Sea and in other parts of the world; other dangers originate from set nets and bottom trawling (Santos et al, 2013; Casale, 2011; Wallace et al, 2010). The bycatch threat from these types of fishing gear poses a serious problem for the survival and conservation of marine turtles, as well as for larger fish and marine mammals with long life-cycles, requiring years to reach sexual maturity
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