Author: Sanny Tri Utami (Bycatch and Sharks Conservation Assistant)

It is undeniable that fishing activities by fishermen often intersect with the migration routes of endangered marine biota, sea turtles being one of them. Banyuwangi to Bali waters are examples of fishing locations that are also migration areas and feeding grounds for sea turtles. Sea turtles are usually accidentally caught by Banyuwangi fishermen who go to sea in the Bali Strait through longline fishing gear.

Rawai is made up of a very long line (main line) and a branch line (branch line) with fishing eyes lined up at a certain distance. On these lines, at least twenty turtles are caught by one boat each year.

Fishermen play an important role in preventing sea turtle extinction due to bycatch. So, in collaboration with the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office of Banyuwangi Regency, WWF-Indonesia's Best Management Practice (BMP) team conducted training on sea turtle bycatch management for 138 Banyuwangi fishermen.

The training took place for six days at the end of August 2016 in Bengkak Village, Badean Village, Grajagan Pantai Village, and Bomo Village (Rogojampi). These four villages were chosen as training locations to reach fishermen with fishing grounds that have a high potential to intersect with sea turtle roaming routes.

Training participants were limited to 10-30 fishermen per session to ensure a conducive activity, with active discussions and a good understanding of the material. It is hoped that after participating in this training, fishermen will be able to handle sea turtles caught directly on the boat. Thus, they can also contribute greatly to the turtle conservation movement.

During the training, fishermen enthusiastically participated in a series of activities starting from filling in the pre-test, explaining the material on how to handle sea turtles caught on the boat, practicing the use of de-hooker, especially for fishermen who use fishing gear, filling in the post-test at the end of the event.

What is equally interesting is that the Banyuwangi people consider turtles as sacred animals and should not get on the boat. They believe that turtles on the boat will bring bad luck, so that fishermen do not get fish during fishing.

The Banyuwangi fishermen did not take long to agree that turtles that were accidentally caught should be released immediately. It is important for them to make sure the turtles are released in an active state again without fishing strings or nets wrapped around their bodies.

Of course, this is not the last time the BMP training on sea turtle handling will be conducted. The BMP team will continue to provide assistance to selected fishermen groups that have high encounters with sea turtles in their capture fisheries activities. The future of sea turtles in Indonesian waters is indeed in the hands of our fishermen.