Observations on a leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea nesting population near Piguwa, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Some aspects of the reproductive biology and conservation of leatherback turtles Dermochelys coriacea on an important nesting beach near Piguwa, Papua New Guinea, were studied in December 1989. Leatherbacks had an average overcurvature standard carapace length of 161·35 cm and laid a mean of 88·2 eggs. The eggs had a mean diameter and weight of, respectively, 52·20 mm and 81·05 g. Statistically significant positive relationships were found between the carapace lengths of nesters and the sizes and weights of their clutches. Nesters spent an average of 74 min at the nest site. The nests were about equally distributed on the front and rear halves of the beach and only a few nests were constructed below the beach scarp. Leatherback eggs, an important source of protein and currency for local inhabitants, are heavily harvested in December and January. A high-density nesting section of the beach was recommended for Wildlife Management Area (WMA) status. This means that the traditional beach owners, with the support of the federal government, would regulate the sustainable harvesting of leatherback eggs on the WMA. Ecotourism, centered on the nesting leatherbacks, is a distinct possibility.