The
Training and Human Resources Development
Division and the Monitoring, Control &
Surveillance Division of Eritrea’s
Ministry of Fisheries recently held a
one-week training for 50 graduates
from the College of Marine Science & Technology
(COMSAT). The training emphasized the
incidental catch of megafauna species,
especially of marine turtles as well as
the many potential threats facing the
turtles and their conservation status. More »
As
reported in February 2009, an exercise
to develop elements of a future strategic
plan for IOSEA was organised in Brisbane,
Australia, in conjunction with the annual
International Sea Turtle Symposium.
The report of the strategic planning meeting
has already been circulated for review
within the 'IOSEA Family', and is now
being made available for wider reading. More »
FROM THE SECRETARIAT
A workshop on the problem of illegal taking
of marine turtles in South-East Asian waters
has just concluded. The two and a half-day
workshop, held in the Malaysian state of
Terengganu, focused on the capture of turtles
in Indonesian, Malaysian and Philippine
waters -- mainly by Chinese vessels operating
out of Hainan province. IOSEA Coordinator
Douglas Hykle facilitated a session on enforcement
issues. A summary of the meeting will be
featured shortly on the IOSEA website.
Discussions
in the margins of the meeting with Malaysian
officials give rise to optimism that the
Malaysian Government will sign the IOSEA
MoU in the near future.
France
and Mozambique have announced the names
of their designated Focal Points to IOSEA:
contact details can be found in the ‘Membership’
section of the website.
Although
taking longer than anticipated, good progress
is being made on enhancements to the IOSEA
website, including a new metadatabase
on satellite tracking. Hopefully the new
features can be unveiled during the course
of this coming month.
A
separate project aimed at increasing the
availability of information on marine
turtles and related conservation initiatives
in the Western Indian Ocean is nearing
completion. The outputs will be made available
through a special section of the IOSEA
website.
A
conference call with the United States'
IOSEA Focal Point and other colleagues
has been scheduled for the first week
of June to discuss progress on various
IOSEA initiatives.
The
Government of Australia has confirmed
a voluntary contribution to the IOSEA
Trust Fund; and Myanmar has signaled its
intention to make a contribution in line
with discussions that took place during
the Fifth Meeting of the Signatory States,
held in Bali last year.
The
Training and Human Resources Development
Division and the Monitoring, Control &
Surveillance Division of Eritrea’s
Ministry of Fisheries recently held a
one-week training for 50 graduates
from the College of Marine Science & Technology
(COMSAT). The training emphasized the
incidental catch of megafauna species,
especially of marine turtles as well as
the many potential threats facing the
turtles and their conservation status. 
As
reported in February 2009, an exercise
to develop elements of a future strategic
plan for IOSEA was organised in Brisbane,
Australia, in conjunction with the annual
International Sea Turtle Symposium. 
