turtles between the cracks

In a backyard of the sea turtle care center, within the Guadeloupe Aquarium, a twister struggles in a pool. The reptile, smaller than the palm of a hand, desperately tries to reach the bottom to retrieve food. Each time, it rises to the surface like a cork. “The veterinarian will determine today if his buoyancy problem is due to edema following accidental capture by fishing gear, as often happens. », comments Thomas Godoc, manager of the care center, as he delicately places the animal in a bucket, on a wet cloth, to transport it. Last year, all of the adult turtles collected and cared for by this structure bore the marks of the nets on their front legs or neck.

« Nearly a thousand turtles get caught in nets every year in Guadeloupe and Martinique, it’s catastrophic » , laments Damien Chevallier, researcher at the CNRS and specialist in marine turtles. In Guadeloupe, training was provided to volunteer fishermen to teach them how to resuscitate turtles when it is not too late. “But very often, fishermen do not report the individuals caught, notes Thomas Godoc. They are too afraid of getting into trouble and prefer to put them directly – and discreetly – back into the sea. » It is in fact prohibited to fish for these protected species. Transporting one is punishable by a fine of 22,500 euros and one year of imprisonment.

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« We are obliged to educate and re-explain to fishermen that they have the obligation to declare any catch, and that by calling us to obtain authorization to bring them back to the center they are protected, he explains. But nothing works. In 2023, we treated around fifteen injured adult turtles. All had been reported to the Sea Turtle Stranding Network… by tourists. »

“We must stop pillaging the sea”

In the small port of Saint-François, in the south-east of the island, the subject tenses, faces close. No one here admits to having ever captured a turtle, and the discussion is short. Only Christophe Catherine admits it half-heartedly. This great 44-year-old fisherman has long used a trammel net, a model that is not very selective and entangles, denounced by environmental protection associations. “I caught too many fish that I didn't want, turtles, but not only »,he says while untangling his net on the pier. He whispers to avoid interactions with other fishermen who do not share his positions: “It wasn't working, so I upgraded my fishing. If we want this profession to continue for our children, we must stop pillaging the sea.”

Four years ago, the owner of the flamboyantJerusalem switched to the straight net, much finer, which is supposed to tear when the reptile passes. Ahead of the change in regulations… Indeed, in the coming months, a prefectural decree should prohibit trammel nets in the waters of Guadeloupe, as has already been the case in Martinique for four years.

Young sea turtles are cared for at the Guadeloupe Aquarium. (Credits: LTD/Fanny Arlandis)

In addition to the trammel net, other models, such as those used to catch conch or lobsters, pose problems. But not all of them can be banned. “This is why only innovative solutions, designed with fishermen, will reduce accidental catches. insists Damien Chevallier. Based on this observation, the scientist embarked on an experiment that he called Topase (for “turtles and accidental fishing, towards efficient reduction solutions”) and which ended last year.

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Ten fishermen from Guadeloupe – including Christophe Catherine – hung small LEDs on the mesh of their nets to indicate the danger to the turtles. As a result, the fishermen caught the usual quantity of fish… without catching any turtles. It now remains to find a more eco-friendly and less energy-consuming solution than batteries to recharge these lamps. “In 2017, continues the researcher, we discovered, to our great surprise, that turtles interact with each other, and above all that they communicate with sounds. So I wanted to also put this knowledge to good use. »

Onboard cameras equipped with hydrophones [micros destinés à fonctionner sous l’eau] were installed on their shells to record their sounds. Those indicating vigilance and alert have already been identified. The idea would then be to use these vocalizations as an underwater repellent. This is the heart of the Recapted project (“reduction of accidental catches for efficient and sustainable fishing”), a sort of Topase II that Damien Chevallier has just launched in Martinique and Guadeloupe, and which will continue until September 2027.