7TH MEDITERRANEAN CONFERENCE ON MARINE TURTLES
TETOUAN/ MOROCCO 2022
BOOK OF ABSTRACT
Book of Abstract
7th Mediterranean Conference on Marine Turtles, Tetouan, Morocco 2022
ATOMM, Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, BP 2121, Tétouan Morocco
+212661953689
aksissou@yahoo.fr
PRESIDENT OF CONFERENCE
Mustapha Aksissou (Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Morocco)
CONFERENCE SECRETARY
Wafae Benhardouze (Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Morocco)
STEERING COMMITTEE
-Lobna Ben Nakhla (UNEP MAP-RAC/SPA)
-Mustapha Aksissou (University Abdelmalek Essaadi)
-Manjula Tiwari (NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service)
-Nadia Saporito (Bern Convention)
HONORARY COMMITTEE
- Bouchta El Moumni (President of University Abdelmalek Essaadi)
- Hinde Cherkaoui (Vice President of University Abdelmalek Essaadi)
- Jamal Eddine Benhayoun (Vice President of University Abdelmalek Essaadi)
- Abdellatif Moukrim (Dean of Faculty of Sciences, Tetouan)
- Noura Aknin (Vice Dean of Faculty of Sciences, Tetouan)
- Ahmed Atlamsani (Vice Dean of Faculty of Sciences, Tetouan)
- Mohammed Malouli Idrissi (INRH, Head Tanger Center)
TRAVEL GRANT CHAIR
Wafae Benhardouze (ATOMM – Association de Protection des Tortues Marines au Maroc)
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
-Abderrahmane Merzouki (UAE, Morocco)
-Ahmed Lamarti (UAE, Morocco)
-Ahmed Taheri (UCD, Morocco)
- Anass Louah (UAE, Morocco)
- Assia Bouzerki (UAE, Morocco)
- Bilal Mghili (UAE, Morocco)
- Bouchra Trari (UAE, Morocco)
- Boutaina Belqat (UAE, Morocco)
- El Hassan Sakar (UAE, Morocco)
- Fahd Darasi (UAE, Morocco)
- Kawtar Kettani (UAE, Morocco)
- Majida El Alami (UAE, Morocco)
-Mohamed Keznine (UAE, Morocco)
-Mohamed Libiad (UAE, Morocco)
-Mohamed Rami (UAE, Morocco)
-Mohamed Rida Derdabi (UAE, Morocco)
-Mustapha Aksissou (UAE, Morocco)
-Nard Bennas (UAE, Morocco)
-Rabia Ajana (UAE, Morocco)
-Soumia Fahd (UAE, Morocco)
-Wafae Benhardouze (UAE, Morocco)
-Younes Saoud (UAE, Morocco)
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
- MUSTAPHA AKSISSOU (ABDELMALEK ESSAÂDI UNIVERSITY, MOROCCO)
- BOJAN LAZAR (UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA, SLOVENIA)
- DANIELA FREGGI (LAMPEDUSA TURTLE RESCUE CENTER, ITALY)
- FLEGRA BENTIVEGNA (ZOOLOGICAL STATION ANTON DOHRN, ITALY)
- ABDULMAULA HAMZA (UNIVERSITY OF TRIPOLI, LIBYA)
- JESÚS TOMÁS (UNIVERSITY OF VALENCIA, SPAIN)
- IMED JRIBI (UNIVERSITY OF SFAX, TUNISIA)
- OGUZ TURKOZAN (ADNAN MENDERES UNIVERSITY, TURKEY)
- SANDRA HOCHSCHEID (ZOOLOGICAL STATION ANTON DOHRN, ITALY)
- WAFAE BENHARDOUZE (ABDELMALEK ESSAÂDI UNIVERSITY, MOROCCO)
- YAKUP KASKA (PAMUKKALE UNIVERSITY, TURKEY)
- ALIKI PANAGOPOULOU (ARCHELON, THE SEA TURTLE PROTECTION SOCIETY OF GREECE)
UNDERSTANDING MEDITERRANEAN MULTI-TAXA ‘BYCATCH’ OF VULNERABLE SPECIES & TESTING MITIGATION – A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH (THE MEDBYCATCH PROJECT)
RaeV.1,Andreanidou.K1
Consistingof21partners,theMAVAfunded MedBycatch project, overall goal is to provide knowledge, skills and tools to reducetheimpactofselectedfishinggears, specifically the incidental capture of vulnerablespeciesandhabitats.Theproject also supports regional and national policy development aimed at promoting effective conservation measures and sustainable fisheries.Phase1(2017 – 2020)focussedon the establishment of national observer teams, led by National Focal Points for Morocco, Tunisia and Türkiye, for the harmonised collection of data. The GFCM/FAO protocol (Monitoring the incidental catch of vulnerable species in Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries: Methodology for data collection) was applied for on-board observations, portbased questionnaires and fishers selfsampling, targeting trawl, longline, net and purse seine fishing gears. During Phase 2 (2020 – 2022), the project expanded to includeItalyandCroatia,andcontinuedthe observer programme, but primarily focussed on the trialling of Bycatch ReductionDevices
(BRD) and supporting Bycatch National Strategies. In Phase 1, 50 observers completed in collaboration with fishers, 1,503 on-board observations and 5,392 port-based questionnaires. The data revealed, as analysed and presented by our NFP’s that from all the individuals bycaught, elasmobranchs were the most commonlytaxarecorded(av.97.67%,n= 12,564), followed by sea turtles (av. 1.83%,n=235),seabirds(av.0.41%,n = 53)and marinemammals(av.0.09%,n = 12). In Phase 2, BRD’s are being trialled for the bottom trawlers in Morocco, Tunisia and Türkiye, with grids and/ or spatiotemporal measures; for longlines (pelagic and demersal) in Morocco, Italy, Tunisia and Türkiye with circle and J hooks and spatial-temporal fishing changes;forstaticnetsinCroatia,Tunisia and Türkiye with fishing gear adaptations, spatial-temporal measures, Green LED and UV lights; and for purse seiners in Morocco with the use of pingers.
SEA TURTLE BYCATCH BY DIFFERENT TYPES OF FISHERIES AROUND AGADIR,MOROCCO
Touaf.M
Departement of Biology, Faculty of Science, University Abdelmalek Essaadi Tetouan 93002, Morocco
The bycatch of sea turtle weather in industrial or artisanal fisheries has become a serious problem worldwide. Recently, bycatch has being increasingly receive attention due to the significant impact it causes on these threatened species. So far, information on sea turtle bycatch around Agadir is limited. This studyaimstoassessseaturtlebycatchin industrial (longliners, purse-seiners and trawlers) and artisanal fisheries in Moroccan water especially around Agadir. Bycatch was examined by collectinginformationfromfishermenon sea turtle bycatch through interviewbased approach, fishermen were asked toanswerdetailedquestionnairesinthe
main port of Agadir, only one fisherman per vessel was interviewed mainly the captain. In all the interviews, fishermen were asked to considerseaturtlebycatchonlyduring the previous fishing year 2021. Estimates of obtained by the present resultsshowedthatthemajorityofsea turtle caught are loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta, with only a low percentage of leatherback turtles, Dermochelys coriacea, during the year 2021. This study provided us general information about the status of sea turtle bycatch around Agadir revealing a widespread impact of fisheries on seaturtle.
Understanding Mediterranean multi-taxa bycatch of vulnerable species and testing mitigation – MedBycatch
Consisting of 23 partners, the MAVA funded MedBycatch project overall goal, is to provide knowledge, skills and tools to reduce the impact of selected fishing gears, specifically the incidental capture of vulnerable species and habitats. The project also supports regional and national policy development aimed at promoting effective conservation measures and sustainable fisheries.
Phase 1 (2017 – 2020) focused on the establishment of national observer teams, led by National Focal Points for Morocco, Tunisia and Türkiye, for the harmonised collection of data applying the GFCM/FAO protocol (Monitoring the incidental catch of vulnerable species in Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries: Methodology for data collection) for on-board observations, port-based questionnaires and fishers self-sampling, targeting trawl, longline, net and purse seine fishing gears
3 National Observer teams trained and established consisting of 50 observers
36 Ports surveyed
1, 503 On-board Observations
5, 392 Port-Based Questionnaires
Phase 2 (2020 – 2022), the project expanded to include Italy and Croatia, and continued the National observer programmes in four countries Primarily focus was on the trialling of Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRD) and informing and supporting Bycatch National Strategies
4 National Observer teams
46 Ports surveyed
3,638 On-board Observations
Over 12,100 Port-Based Questionnaires
8 Mitigations tools tested in 5 Countries
The data & the mitigation trials presented in this poster, were analysed, compiled and implemented under the supervision and coordination of the National Bycatch Focal Points of: Morocco, Sana El Arraf & Mohammed Malouli Idrissi; Tunisia, Mohamed Mourad Ben Amor & Mohamed Nejmeddine Bradai; Türkiye, Dr. Meltem Ok and Dr. Gokhan Gokce. Only the data pertaining to sea turtles is displayed.