Sandy beaches are the preferred nesting habitat for sea turtles. Multiple climate change events may, however, impact on this habitat, since the projected increase in the intensity and frequency of high tides as a consequence of rises in sea level and storm events may cause a higher rate of flooding of nests. Knowledge regarding future scenarios of tidal inundation and nest-site selection is required to design action plans with which to protect suitable habitats. The objectives of this study were: i) to quantify the impact of high tides on the nesting of two endangered species of sea turtles, Eretmochelys imbricata and Chelonia mydas in Ecuador, ii) to identify relevant trends regarding tides that might impact on the hatching success of the nests and, iii) to project the hatching success of these sea turtles’ nests in next decade using changes in high tides events as a basis. We measured microhabitat characteristics along seven beaches on which sea turtles nest on the mainland coast of Ecuador. The tidal data and the hatching success of 210 nests were monitored from 2013 to 2020. We observed a positive trend as regards future high tide occurrences, which are a key factor in explaining nest hatching success. This increase in high tide might cause a reduction in the hatching success of these endangered species of sea turtles; with the E. imbricata being the species most affected by this threat. Considering that Eretmochelys imbricata is categorized as critically endangered and Chelonia mydas is listed as endangered, estimations of the potential risk of climate events on their reproductive success might contribute to management strategies, and in turn, to the conservation of their populations.

Fisheries bycatch is a primary driver of population declines in marine megafauna. These captures not only have environmental impacts, they also have economic consequences for fishers such as direct losses when repairing fishing gear. Therefore, evaluating the fishers’ perception of bycatch and comparing it with data from scientific fisheries observers might provide a broader view of the current situation these species face. To do this, we obtained data concerning the bycatch of 1,838 sea turtles between 2008-2018 in the Eastern Pacific Ocean as well as informative surveys from 421 artisanal fishers surveyed in 2020. There is a discrepancy between the bycatch observed and the fishers’ perceptions of it. The observers’ results identified that high rates of incidental capture of sea turtles are associated with the mahi mahi fishery that occurs during winter and is a shallow set fishery using fish as bait. The olive ridley turtle was the main species affected by bycatch. According to the fishers’ perception, bycatch was higher with the use of J-hooks and a longline (compared to circle hooks and to gill nets and trawl nets) and when the target species are pelagic fish during the winter season. In addition, the fishers’ perception showed that 39.4% considered incidental fishing as an environmental problem and 28.5% considered it as a nuisance, while 32.1% do not consider sea turtle bycatch as a problem. These findings suggest that 60% of fishers do not consider it a need to protect sea turtles. Given the different responses between fisheries observers and fishers’ perception, it is clear that more dialogue is necessary to raise awareness about the effects of bycatch on worldwide sea turtle populations. Thus, there is an enormous potential to recruit/increase fishers’ active participation for turtle protection. In this context, the idea of including the fishers’ perception into any management strategy or conservation measure should be reinforced in order to effectively reduce the bycatch of these iconic species.