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Yohannes Teclemariam provides an update on the ECMIB (Eritrea Coastal, Marine and Island Biodiversity) project which was last featured in the IOSEA ‘Profile of the Month’ of July 2005.
The waters of the Dahlak Archipelago and southern Red Sea coast of Eritrea are a major habitat for turtles, but they are also the main shrimping grounds in Eritrea. Each year, thousands of turtles become entangled in fishing nets and drown. A total of 3,342 sea turtles were recorded as incidental catch during ten years (1994–2004) of fishing trips by shrimp and fish trawlers operating in different fishing grounds of the Eritrean Red Sea.
The trawlers often operate in areas of with shallow depth ranges, which shows that they are violating the fisheries regulation that restricts trawlers from operating in depths of less than 15 meters, and within 4 miles from islands and 8 miles from mainland coast.
In the first week of the month of January 2007, a four-day sea turtle field training course was given to 15 observers on board industrial shrimp/fish trawlers by the ECMIB project (Ministry of Fisheries). The academic training held at Dissie Island from 3 to 6 January 2007 was complemented with practical demonstrations during the day and the night.
The training addressed the importance of sea turtles and problems facing them due to human interference. It also emphasized familiarization with basic turtle species identification, practice in undertaking morphometric measurements (CCL, CCW, SCL, and SCW), nesting behavior, day and night patrolling, tagging, resuscitation (recovery) methods for accidentally caught turtles, fishing regulations and data recording.
Turtle expert Mr. Mahta Goitom explained in detail the morphometric characteristics of each turtle species, including their measurements, with the support of carapace and skull samples. The ECMIB Project gave copies of the Indo-Pacific marine turtle identification key photos and the Project's turtle brochure to each of the trainees. They had also the chance to practice the tagging process of turtles during the second day of the night patrol.
 The inspectors were able to appreciate how returned data on tagged turtles would help researchers understand more about the migration and behaviour patterns. The main purpose of the training was to make the observers on board of the shrimp/fish trawlers aware of the biology of marine turtles and to build cordially-based conservation efforts into their work. Lack of information about marine turtles leads many observers on board industrial trawlers to unwittingly not record the incidental catch of these species on board these vessels.
 Current information indicates that the major sources of sea turtle mortality in the Eritrean Red Sea are trawling, long lines and gill/entanglement nets. So far the threat to sea turtles is highest in shrimp/fish trawling, and it is associated with the main shrimp fishing grounds between islands, where turtles frequently migrate to nest and forage. Several Egyptian trawlers and those of other nationalities, along with a few national trawlers, have been operating in the Eritrean Red Sea. At least two observers are sent on board on these trawlers to record the shrimp and fish catch and regulate the fishing activities. The Megafauna Team of the ECMIB is working hard to train observers on board so that true data of incidental caught turtles could be recorded.
In January 2006, the Project gave 20 copies of identification photos of Indo-Pacific marine turtles and other marine mammals to the Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Unit of the Ministry of Fisheries of the State of Eritrea. These can help observers on board identify the species more easily. Also provided was a 1.5 meter measuring tape for measurement of the Curved Carapace Length of marine turtles and Body Length of the mammals.
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