In 2003, the World Wide Fund for Nature (or WWF) took the initiative of introducing new fish hooks first in Ecuador and later in other Latin American nations. It proved that many more turtles could survive if fishermen stopped using traditional fish hooks. It is fact that the sea turtles all over the world are under constant threat not just as the result of a loss of habitat, but also because of the large numbers that are accidentally killed as ‘by-catch’.
It is said that the sea turtles have a three-stage life cycle with each phase taking place in a different type of environment. The animals migrate over long distances, making close cooperation between countries a necessity to guarantee adequate protection. Moisés Mug, the Fisheries Senior Program Officer for WWF in Latin America and the Caribbean, said that in this programme they replace the traditional J-shaped hooked with new C-shaped hooks. They have more of a closed shape, which has two main advantages. He added that the unintended by-catch of sea turtles has been substantially reduced while the main catch has remained the same. This is a vital precondition.
It is informed that currently more than 312,000 euros have been invested, mainly in the workshops and to pay for the observers who sail with the fishermen to persuade everyone that the project is profitable in all respects. The results obtained with C-shaped hooks are identical compared to J-shaped hooks. At first, fishermen had some difficulty fixing bait to the new type of hook, but they have since found it makes no difference.
