Hawksbill Turtle Nesting Season Is Back Again!!

The hawksbill turtle nesting season 2012-2013 got underway on the 16th July 2012. As with past seasons, the Marine Conservation Society of Seychelles (MCSS) turtle monitoring team start the season with the usual once weekly patrol of the nesting beaches in the South, South East and South West of  the Island of Mahe. The patrol frequency will increase to twice a week in September and eventually three times per week during its peak from October- February 2013.

There are two species of marine turtles that nests in the Seychelles waters. Chelonia mydas (green turtle) nest mostly at night throughout the year and Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill turtle) nest seasonally only during daytime.

At this time of year hawksbill turtles swim very long distances from their feeding ground to the Seychelles waters where they will mate and tirelessly crawl up the beach to deposit their precious loads of egg clutches in the sand to incubate, before returning back to their feeding ground.  Around 30-35 years ago these females hawksbill turtle were among some very tiny hatchlings which incubated on one of the nesting beaches of the Seychelles Islands. Now they are back again every two years to once again continue the nesting turtle cycle. Luckily some of the marine turtles might be able to safely make it back to sea while others might not be that lucky at this time when they are most vulnerable to poachers.

During the past four weeks only two nests have been recorded so far. The 1st turtle nest (hawksbill) was recorded on the 1st of August 2012 at Anse Grand Police after some heavy rainfall which occurs in the southern region.  During the last turtle patrol, lots of crab holes were seen in the nest and some eggshells were also found which indicate some crabs have been busy partying with fresh turtle eggs. Frequent dog activity also indicates that the nest has been partly dug up by stray dogs. 

 Predated Eggshell from the 1st nest at Anse Grand Police, dug up by crabs.

Another Hawksbill turtle nest was recorded on Saturday the 11th August 2012 at Anse Intendance (Photo below) by the Banyan Tree Resort turtle monitoring staff. The turtle probably nest the day before as no tracks were seen above the high water mark along the beach. We hope during the incubation period, the nest will incubate safely due to some sand erosion presently happening along the beach. 

             

Hawksbill turtle nest (2012-2013 season) at Anse Grand Police and Anse Intendance respectively.

Monitoring Marine Life on Denis Island

MCSS developed a protocol for assessing the biodiversity and abundance of coral and fish in the waters surrounding the islands of North and Denis as a part of the MFF funded Coastal Development project in association with the Green Islands Foundation (GIF).  

Since these initial surveys, every six months MCSS conducts coral and fish surveys in these areas as a part of the Green Islands Foundation (GIF) GEF funded Protected Areas Project.  Last week I traveled to Denis Island with Georgia French (Project Coordinator) in order to conduct such surveys, as well as to pilot a new method for conducting turtle surveys in the Seychelles.

After a short flight from Mahé to Denis, we settled in to our accommodation on the staff estate and had a bite to eat before getting to work.  The dive center was short on clients that afternoon, so they took us on a private cruise to the dive sites Batfish and Aquarium, where we started our surveys.  Georgia surveyed fish while I surveyed coral, swimming a 50 meter belt transect and recording the percentage of substrate covered by hard and soft coral 2.5 meters to either side of the transect and every 5 meters along the transect.  

Doing the marine transect surveys

The coral cover was sparse, with no soft coral in sight, and the substrate was like the ruins of a long-lost civilization: a memory of the beauty and grandeur which once existed but can now only be found in the imagination.  I could see the remains of the reef which at one time danced with color, but the area had been hit hard by the bleaching and tsunami events of the last fifteen years, and recovery is a slow process.  Fortunately, it appeared that the reef is slowly recovering, with coral cover being dominated by numerous small patches of fast-growing corals.  Continued monitoring will give more information, but hopefully the area will continue to improve, although it may never reach its former glory.

Meyer's butterfly fish (or Maypole butterfly fish) one of the colourful inhabitants of the Denis Island reef

The next day, following an early breakfast, we headed to the seagrass beds which surround most of Denis to try a new method of conducting turtle surveys.  This method involved me being tied, literally, to Georgia while we snorkeled through the seagrass beds and counted turtles, sharks, rays, and any other interesting encounters.  We were supported by two friends from GIF who followed in a kayak, also counting the turtles they saw.  Georgia’s and my position in the water allowed us to record the size, species, and, if possible, sex of the turtles we encountered, while our friends’ positions in the kayak provided a verification of our count.  

Snorkelling surveys for turtles in the shallow waters

After a morning filled with snorkeling for turtles, during which we also saw numerous thornyback rays, a juvenile lemon shark, juvenile Picasso Triggerfish (so cute when they’re tiny!), and many other fish, we returned to the dive center for one more coral/fish survey.  This one we did as a shore dive, swimming out to the house reef, which was an intricate, though shallow, underwater environment.  Unfortunately, the coral cover here was even less substantial and diverse than at the other sites.

That afternoon Georgia and I went looking for Seychelles Paradise Flycatchers, an endemic bird found only on La Digue and Denis islands.  Georgia had done work with flycatchers on Denis previously, so she knew their general territories and how to find them, and was able to show me a nesting female and its mate, which was a fun experience.

The next morning we conducted one more turtle survey, seeing numerous green turtles.  On the walk along the beach back to the dive center I saw my first turtle tracks, a green turtle’s, though, even after scaling a steep erosion cliff and digging in two places, she failed to lay any eggs.  Our work finished, and a day ahead of schedule, we grabbed a quick bite to eat before boarding our flight back to Mahé.

Anouk's first turtle experiences...

Hey, my name is Anouk. I am following the Erasmus Mundus Master Programme in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation and in this framework I am currently doing an internship at MCSS for 3 weeks. 

On 4 April 2012 I took part in my first turtle walk. The general idea of turtle walk is to monitor the turtles’ nesting (surprisingly, Hawksbill turtle tend to nest during daylight hours in Seychelles) and check on the nests. If a recently hatched nest is found (indicated by hatchling tracks) the number of hatched as well as unhatched eggs are counted. 

In order to do that we walk along beaches that are potential nesting sites at the high-water line. This is because nesting takes place above high-tide mark, so adult or hatchling tracks should be seen here (don’t get confused by omnipresent crab tracks). As well as recording nests and turtles, we also note down human impacts like sunbathers, swimmers, boats, dogs, etc. Additionally, for some beaches we evaluate the suitability for nesting by rating the accessibility (foreshore area, erosion cliff,…) and the quality of the beach plateau for nesting. It is impressive to see how much a beach can change within one week! 

Last week we were lucky and actually came across hatchling tracks on Anse Bazarca – which, to be honest, I wouldn’t have been able to identify as such and would’ve just thoughts it’s crab tracks again – but luckily enough our eagle-eyed turtle specialist Uzice has years of experience and know-how! After some minutes of searching in the vegetation we were able to locate the nest under some dry leaves the mother had put there to disguise it and in this way protect her offspring. In order to count the eggs we started burrowing – and very soon after we started digging we discovered it: a lonely hatchling who had apparently been struggling to free itself from the nest and make its way to the sea ever since its 202 siblings had had started their journey of life successfully! 

 Anouk checks out the lone hatchling

So we liberated it from the sand and carried it to the end of the vegetation, to make its life a bit easier and to speed up the process.  You might wonder why we didn’t just carry it all the way to the water, but female turtles return to the beach they were born on for their own nesting, so they need to mark the location in their own imaginary map in order to find their way back one day – given they survive until maturity and find a mate! 

 Anouk guards the lone hatchling as it struggles down the beach

So, after putting it down at the beginning of pure sand I stayed with my little fosterling and was going to protect it from all evils (birds, crabs, dogs, …) on its way across the beach. Our particular little hatchling, however, started walking in loops and circles after a little while because one of its flippers seemed to be numb (we cannot tell if this disability is the reason for or a result of its struggling in the nest) – so we were forced to carry our little ‘Nemo’ turtle with its lucky fin up to the shoreline, where it made its last steps towards the sea on its own. We waved goodbye as he escaped into the sea and we will keep our fingers crossed that in a couple of year’s time it will be grown up and graze in the coral reef just like the adult Hawksbill I came across while diving the other day. And that she will come back to this very beach to burrow a nest of her own and lay her eggs one day (or that he fertilizes the eggs of his mate successfully in case he's a male). 

A Trio of Tiny Turtle Tearaways

Volunteer intern 'Pedro' relates the story of three lucky hatchlings...

Although we’re approaching the end of the Hawksbill nesting season and fewer turtles are coming ashore to lay eggs, this just means it’s about the right time for many of the eggs to hatch. Most nesting happens in the south of Mahe, but yesterday at the fishing harbour in Bel Ombre, three wayward hatchlings were discovered by Marcel, a boat mechanic. Hatchlings usually emerge from their nest at night, because it’s safer then, so seeing them on land in the daytime is unusual. Sitting in the hot sun isn’t good for hatchlings (or for people!), so Tony, the Dive Instructor, placed them gently in a nice cool bucket of seawater to keep them safe while they were taken back to the Underwater Dive Centre.

The hatchlings doing laps in their temporary home

Most of the MCSS staff, and myself, were working hard in the office when the telephone rang with news of the find, but since it’s rare to see hatchlings we all decided to take the opportunity to help. David drove Georgia and me to the Dive Centre where we found everyone watching the little turtles swimming around in their temporary home, knocking their beaks and shells into the plastic of the bucket as they followed their instinct to swim out to sea.

Pedro becomes the turtle carrier and guardian for the afternoon

Having torn the turtles away from their audience, we then drove them north to Carana beach, picking up Gareth and Laura on the way, and trying not to let the water slosh all over the truck. I must make an excellent human shock-absorber, as not a drop was spilled. After locating the hairpin bend at the top of the steep track to the beach (and some excellent truck manoeuvering by David) we selected a spot away from the rock plateau that would have stopped the hatchlings from getting out to sea.

Picturesque Carana beach, the ideal release location

When turtle hatchlings are relocated like this, it’s usual to let them make their own way to the sea, but because they had already done their imprinting walk and then got washed back ashore we decided to release them directly into the sea. As the waves were quite big we had to time it so that the waves didn’t wash the little scamps back onto the beach, so after a wave broke we gently placed them in the water to let the current wash them away from the beach, and waved goodbye forever.

Pedro releases his hatchling, fingers crossed for the little chap!

If they manage to get to deeper water without being eaten by something, the hatchlings will spend the next few years in the open ocean, until they reach an age when they will start foraging from the seafloor in shallower water. It takes around 30 years for Hawksbills to mature to breeding age, so if any of them were female, who knows - they may be back to lay their own eggs in years to come.

Hatching on Anse Corail, Monday 21st November 2011

Join our two French students, Marieke Foissart, Charline Comparini from AgroCampus, Renne, as they describe their first turtle hatchlings…..

This morning we saw our first turtle nest hatching on Anse Corail. It was a really good experience to see all these small turtles running on sand and scrambling over all the obstacles.

Footprints are like giant craters to a hatchling...

It’s really impressive how very small things for us cause big troubles to them: foot prints, coconuts, rocks and rubbish are a real nightmare for them!

And small rocks are mountain ranges!

Once they hatched, they begin a really funny dash across the beach. Who’s going to be the first in water?! Nothing is settled yet… It depends on the goodwill of waves and currents.

Two of the hatchlings make it to the sea...

Unfortunately, only twenty one young turtles from this nest made it to the water; three were too weak and died and twenty one eggs hadn't hatched.

But still that's 21 new turtles at large!

Beach Profiling With the International School

It is certainly an interesting time of year to be beach profiling at Beau Vallon! Now that the North West monsoon season has arrived the sea in Beau Vallon Bay has become pretty rough and the beach is beginning to change shape quite dramatically.

Georgia explaining how to set up the beach profile

Today Georgia French (Project Coordinator) and Uzice Samedi (Researcher) took a group of 20 students from the International School on a beach profiling trip to teach them the methods behind the technique. Beach profiling is used to measure the slopes of different sections of the beach. MCSS profiles several beaches every month so that we can see how the beaches are changes in shape over time.This is important for nesting turtles as the shape of the beach effects how easy it is for female turtles to crawl up it to lay their eggs. For example, erosion of the sand by the sea can cause erosion cliffs to form (demonstrated in section B to C in the diagram below) which can be impossible for turtles to climb.

Erosion can also wash away sections of the beach that turtles have already laid in, destroying their nests. However, beaches are not constantly eroding, there is also sand accretion where sand is deposited on the beach, making it bigger. It all depends on the monsoon season and if any coastal engineering has been undertaken on or near a beach. Coastal engineering can include building sea walls, jetties and groins. These structures change the way that the sea water moves around a shore line and so effects how sand is eroded or accreted.

To measure the beach profile, you need two ranging poles, an Abney Level, a measuring tape, data forms and pencils. Clipboards are very helpful when it is windy as it was today! Each section of the beach is measured and using the poles and Abney level, it is possible to measure the slope (in degrees and minutes) of each beach section. If a section of the beach is flat, the Abney level will read zero degrees, if it sloping down the Abney level will give a negative reading in degrees and minutes and so on.

Two students get to grips with the Abney level

The information gathered on the beach is then put into our beach profile software which produces graphs of the beach profile for us. MCSS will hopefully be starting a new project on coastal erosion in the coming year funded by Mangroves For the Future. This will enable us to get new hi-tech equipment and software that will give us a much better idea of sand movement patterns around Mahé which will allow us to give good advice to coastal managers and developers.

The team hard at work profiling Beau Vallon beach

Everybody did a great job at the measuring today and it was lovely to see everyone helping each other out. Special thanks has to go to those brave enough to hold the pole at the last point of the profile as this was in the sea!

Folied! An attempted poaching incident!

MCSS carry out Turtle Monitoring patrols on selected beaches in the South of Mahé which involves walking the full length of the beach at the vegetation line to check for any turtles or turtle tracks. We carry out turtle monitoring patrols throughout the year and increase the patrols to three times a week during the peak nesting season (October to January) for Critically Endangered hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata).

The purpose of the turtle monitoring patrol is to collect data in order for us to increase our knowledge of turtle populations to help protect them further. An additional benefit of our turtle monitoring patrols is that our presence on beaches can deter poachers.

Yesterday, during the usual turtle monitoring patrol, Uzice and Cathrina came across something wrong on Anse Bazarca. There was a hawksbill turtle track going up the beach but not going down. Instead there was a pseudo turtle track, suggesting the cunning poachers knew that the beach would be later patrolled. Our experienced staff spotted the imitation track straight away, most likely made by the attempting poachers.

The real up track on the left and the phoney down-track on the right...

This led Uzice to check the vegetation thoroughly and fortunately, found the hawksbill turtle lying on its back. A turtle on its back is unable to right itself and is the traditional way of immobilising a turtle to collect later (to turn turtle?), presumably in this case, when less people are around.

The turned-turtle, on its back stranded until the poachers returned, or someone rescued her!

Thankfully, we were there to rescue the turtle and Uzice carefully returned the turtle the right way up so that she could make her way back to the sea. Cathrina and Uzice made sure they watched the turtle safely returned to the sea.

Hawksbill turtles are critically endangered and granted full protection under the Wild Animals (Turtles) Protection Act (1994). However, they are still being poached in the main for their meat. This is surprising as the hawksbill meat can be poisonous!

Right-way up and heading back to the beach, sea and safety!

The sad fact is that nesting turtles appear to be a target and usually poached prior to being able to lay. Hawksbill turtles can take from 25 to 30 years to mature and can lay between three and five egg clutches with an inter-breeding interval of a minimum of two years. Therefore, poaching nesting turtles are having greater impacts on the turtle population.

Safely on her way back to sea...

All at MCSS are extremely happy that we have prevented this attempted poaching from being successful and we have helped one more turtle back to sea.