Monitoring the green turtle population <em>Chelonia mydas</em> (Linné, 1758) in the coastal region of Campo Ma’an national park (South Cameroon)

Abstract

In Cameroon, marine turtles are usually captured accidentally in fishing nets. Among the species captured, the green turtles are captured through out the year but they lay eggs on the coast irregularly. To carry out study on Chelonia mydas, data on the identification of 77 Sea Turtles was collected from 1998 to 2005 using sea turtle carapace on sale along the road and in all households of the 10 villages between 75 Km from of Kribi and Campo. The capture and recapture method was used with the participation of fishermen and the regional marine turtles protection team. To identify and measure live or dead turtles and to tag with MONEL flipper tags, all live and untagged turtles caught in the nets of local fishermen, we were present when fishermen returned from fishing trips. Turtles captured having tag numbers were registered by their tag numbers. The team also carried out monitoring of nests along the 15 km beach between Mbendji and Bekolobe for four years (1998 to 2002). 134 turtles were tagged and released in the wild. A total of 209 green turtles (Chelonia mydas) were identified and measured along the coastal zone of the Campo Ma'an national park. The average curved carapace length was 50, 29 cm and the width was 49, 99 cm. In the small classes of curved carapace length (30-40) cm, the animals increase till a maximum of class length (45-50) cm and the number decreases progressively and stops when the values of the class length are 70-75 cm. Among the tagged animals, 18 were recaptured approximately 3 km from the release site, thus indicating relative sedentary juvenile green turtles around the Campo Ma'an coastline. Only one sea turtle migrated into the Equatorial Guinea coastline after two years.

An Assessment of Marine Turtle Nesting Rookeries in the Southern Atlantic Coastline of Cameroon: Implications for Management and Conservation

“…Previously, Hyacinthe et al (2012), Formia et al, 2002;Ayissi, 2000;Fretey, 1999;Fretey, 1998a;Girardin 1988 andFretey, 1987 have reported cases of frequent dominance, sporadic nesting or rare occurrence of olive ridley, leatherback or juvenile green turtles in nesting/foraging habitats within the Atlantic coastline of Cameroon. The in-water species population has been reported as bycatch in local artisanal sheries (Ayissi and Jiofack, 2014;Ayissi et al 2018).…”

“…The area provides important foraging and nesting grounds for marine turtles (Kimberly and Tiwari, 2013;Mettler et al 2019). Four rockeries of the species are predominantly attracted here for reproduction and growth; female olive ridley and leatherback to nest (and more rarely green turtles) and juvenile hawksbills and green turtles to grow (Fretey 2001;Fretey et al 2002;Hyacinthe et al 2012). Here, the species are killed traditionally by poachers in the bordering populations who consume their meat, grease shell and eggs for livelihood.…”