Reportage
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Collateral victims of hooked lines, the turtles are brought ashore, cared for and released as part of a partnership for sustainable fishing.
“Are you okay, pupuce?” Anaïs, a caregiver at the Kélonia discovery center, located in Saint-Leu, on the west coast of Reunion, ensures that Elodie, a 43-kilo loggerhead turtle, does not get too agitated in her tank. This Friday, November 29 in the morning, the orange-brown reptile has just been taken out of its pool; Elodie had been convalescing for six months, after being accidentally captured by a longliner. This type of boat leaves hooked lines trailing around fifteen kilometers behind it. In Reunion, 1,000 tonnes of swordfish, the intended target, are captured each year. But the 43 active vessels also fill their holds with 600 tonnes of bycatch. When it comes to tuna, it's a bonus. If sharks bite lines baited with squid and mackerel, fishermen release them into the sea, without anyone knowing what happens to the injured sharks.
There are other collateral victims: turtles. Five species live in Reunion waters. The International Union for Conservation of Nature judges the population of green turtles and hawksbill turtles, which are observed not far from the shore, in a “favorable state”. On the other hand, there is very little data available on turtles.
