Each year, hundreds of thousands of sea turtles are accidentally caught in fishing nets—a phenomenon known as bycatch, which poses a grave threat to these already vulnerable species.

“Even the death of one individual has implications for a population that’s already threatened. But in the case of fisheries, it's also not good for the reputation of the fisheries” says Dr Joanna Alfaro, a Peruvian marine biologist with 25 years of experience in marine conservation.

Dr Joanna is also the Director and co-founder of ProDelphinus, a non-profit organisation in Peru that works with fishing communities to protect sea turtles and marine fauna from bycatch.

Winner of Whitley Award, Dr Joanna, in this sixth episode of sea turtle stories, underscores the importance of working with fishing communities towards ensuring sustainable fisheries. “Of course, we have a special place in our hearts for turtles, but we also care for the people that are related to this marine environment. The ocean is not ours, it's everybody's” she emphasises.

So join our host Minnie and Dr Joanna, as they tackle the critical issue of sea turtle bycatch, its mitigation in small-scale fisheries in Peru and the vital role of community engagement in conservation efforts.

Links for Additional Reading:

• Alfaro-Shigueto, J., Mangel, J. C., Bernedo, F., Dutton, P. H., Seminoff, J. A., & Godley, B. J. (2011). Small-scale fisheries of Peru: A major sink for marine turtles in the Pacific. Journal of Applied Ecology.
• Alfaro-Shigueto, J., Dutton, P., Van Bressem, M.-F., & Mangel, J. (2009). Interactions between leatherback turtles and Peruvian artisanal fisheries. Chelonian Conservation and Biology.
• Gilman, E. et al. (2009). Mitigating sea turtle by-catch in coastal passive net fisheries. SeeTurtles.org.
• Bielli, A., Alfaro-Shigueto, J., Doherty, P. D., Godley, B. J., Ortiz, C., Pasara, A., Wang, J. H., & Mangel, J. C. (2020). An illuminating idea to reduce bycatch in the Peruvian small-scale gillnet fishery. Biological Conservation, Vol 241
• Lewison, R., Wallace, B., Alfaro-Shigueto, J., Mangel, J., Maxwell, S., & Hazen, E. (2013). Fisheries bycatch of marine turtles: Lessons learned from decades of research and conservation. Annual Review of Marine Science

To support Olive Ridley Project’s work in sea turtle conservation, you can - Name and Adopt a wild sea turtle, Adopt a turtle patient or Donate here: https://oliveridleyproject.org/donate

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