Decline number of sea turtles leaves conservationists worried

The number of sea turtles along the Indian Ocean coast in Tanga Region has decreased tremendously due to lack of  willingness to conserve them and other rare living organisms. 

The sea turtles which were mostly available in Mkinga, Muheza and Pangani districts are now being illegally harvested and sold to ‘wananchi’ for food.

 Speaking to this paper at his office this week, Boniventure Mchomvu, a project officer with an organisation dealing with conservation of sea organisms ‘Sea Sense,’ said the problem has slightly decreased in Pangani District after residents were sensitised on the importance of conserving the animals.

Mchovu said illegal harvesting of the turtles persisted in other districts. He said current statistics showed that in Pangani District alone there were 752 shells between 2008 and 2015, whereby 63,466 sea turtles were delivered.

He said the number of nes

ts at Maziwe Island which were later on transferred to Ushongo Village was 352 between the year 2008 and 2015 while the number of sea turtles delivered was 3032. He said in Kikokwe Village there were 152 shells and 11,896 sea turtles. In Boza Village there were 82 shells and 5,216 sea turtles.

He said Pangani East had only 3 shells and 209 sea turtles, Stahabu had 2 shells and 187 turtles while Kipumbwi Village had a single shell and 87 sea turtles. Other villages with the number of sea turtles in brackets are Sange 28 shells (2,260), Mkwaja 3 shells (181), Madete—Saadani 129 shells (12,955), Buyuni 2 shells (28) and Kigome in Muheza District which had 8 shells and 292 sea turtles.

According to Mchomvu, there are some places where residents are not aware of the importance of conserving sea turtles. 

“Some people harvest the sea turtles for commercial purposes and some for food. Environmental destruction has also ruined the turtles’ breeding places,” he noted, adding that the turtles have now started breeding at Ushongo Village after the villagers conserved the environment.