Sea turtles in the nation need to be protected and conserved, and fishermen, seafood processors, and coastal communities have been encouraged to help.
This is due to the fact that many fishermen and coastal communities in the nation continue to kill sea turtles for food, despite the fact that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists them as one of the world's endangered species.
A campaign called the "Turtle Conservation Project" was started at Gomoa Fetteh in 2019 by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), an NGO with a focus on fishery resources and coastal management, to aid in the protection of sea turtles in the nation.
Since then, the project has been expanded to include Senya Breku, another seaside hamlet located in Ghana's Central Region's Gomoa East District.
In Ghana, sea turtles are frequently killed by purposeful or incidental fishing net entanglement or when they come to nest on the coast.
World Turtle Day Speaking at a symposium held last Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region to commemorate this year's World Turtle Day, the Communications Officer of EJF, Mr. Charles Smith, said protecting sea turtles was a shared responsibility, so he urged all fishers and fish processors, especially those in the fishing communities, to play a part in helping to protect them.
He said that by feeding on seagrass, maintaining coral reefs, and controlling the numbers of jellyfish that feed on fish eggs, sea turtles serve a crucial role in preserving healthy seas and fisheries.
Additionally, he added, the sea turtles' eggs on Ghana's beaches serve as a source of nutrients for the coastal ecosystems.
However, Mr. Smith voiced his worry that nest damage by canines, coastal residents, and the deaths of female turtles that travel to the coastlines to lay eggs represent a serious threat to conservation efforts.
Successes
The "Turtle Conservation Project" was started, he said, and has resulted in the rescue and release of 39 turtles back into the ocean. "This means taking action now to protect sea turtles is essential to ensure their continued survival and to maintain the significant benefits they bring to coastal communities," he said.
The 39 turtles that were saved, he said, were made possible by a community-led effort, and "of the 39 safe releases achieved, 28 were unintentionally captured by fishermen.
The turtles became hooked in their nets, so the fishermen wanted to sell them to companies that prepare turtle flesh to make up for the expense of their broken nets.
The turtles were returned to the water after the patrol teams were able to come to an agreement with the fishermen.
Mr. Smith said that the remaining 11 were also discovered by turtle poachers while they were nesting, but the patrol teams were successful in convincing them to release the turtles.
However, he claimed that not all turtles were saved, citing the deaths of two leatherback turtle species in Senya Breku and one green turtle, which perished after becoming trapped in fishing nets.
He claimed that 649 nesting events and 137 hatchlings were released into the ocean as a result of the experiment.
Mr. Smith added that the initiative had been successful in showing an animated and documentary video on turtle conservation in ten coastal towns in the Central Area.
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