RMCO turtle conservation efforts in Somalia

Eng. Abdul Rahman Said Galleyr is Program Manager of the Regional Marine Conservation Organization (RMCO), a marine conservation NGO based in Bosaso, Somalia.

With three regional representative sub-offices, RMCO is attempting to carry out conservation activities in that troubled country. More »

Cash award for information  on satellite transmitters in Indonesia

As part of the YoT 2006 initiative of the IOSEA, Singapore released 12 sea turtles in South China Sea for a satellite tracking study. An immediate cash reward of up to USD 500 is being offered for information on and return of two transmitters, which have been sending signals from land near the town of Krui, Indonesia. More »

IOSEA-FAO ties strengthen

The IOSEA Secretariat's positive interactions with the Food and Agriculture Organization continue to intensify. The Coordinator attended the 27th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in Rome in March. He took advantage of the opportunity to broker a meeting of fisheries experts that hopefully will lead to the convening of a small workshop on by-catch mitigation in Bahrain. More »

This month we welcome India as the 27th Signatory State to the IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU. The agreement came into effect for the South Asian nation on 1 May. The Government of India has already appointed its Focal Point to the MoU: Dr. R. B. Lal, Inspector General of Forests (WL), Ministry of Environment and Forests. Full contact details are given in the IOSEA membership list.

In this issue of e-News, the Profile of the Month takes you to the enchanting Australian territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean. Scott Whiting and colleagues report on this island paradise, whose extensive seagrass and algal beds support thousands of immature and adult green and hawksbill turtles. If you happen to have missed last month's profile on new insights into Sri Lankan Green turtle migration, conducted by Peter Richardson (MCS) and the team at TCP, please visit the Profile of the Month archive.

The "jury is still out" on the application submitted to the United States Marine Turtle Conservation Fund for financial support for the next meeting of IOSEA Signatory States. It is possible that the application will be deferred until the next round of funding in November 2007, which might increase the chances of securing the requested funds. However it would likely mean the combined technical workshop and meeting of Signatory States would slip into 2008. Fortunately, March is still a very nice time of year in Thailand!

Australia: Rare turtle find on Queensland coast (30 April)

India: Orissa turtles face threat from port (23 April)

Net ban aims to protect Spanish Mackerel (18 April)

Abu Dhabi bans fishing by encircling nets (18 April)

Indonesian quake caused massive coral death (13 April)

Sea turtles killed in Benguela fisheries (13 April)

Malaysia clamps down on poaching (12 April)

17 Chinese fishermen fined for turtle poaching (12 April)

Groups concerned over turtle habitat threat (10 April)

India: Moonlight hiking to save turtles (9 April)

Turtle to help experts learn (7 April)

Basic instinct dooms Cape York turtles (6 April)

Efforts to trace Olive Ridley Turtles movement (5 April)

Trawling, industry threaten India turtle nesting (4 April)

Satellite telemetry to unravel turtle mystery (3 April)