conservationist asserted that to leave doomed eggs in the ground 

 to rot would be better than to remove them if doing so stimulated 

 any international trade in turtle products. Others find this 

 attitude appalling. Not only do they regret the loss of protein 

 but, taking a resource oriented approach to conservation more in 

 line with the World Conservation Strategy, they feel that 

 governments will be more likely to spend money on wildlife if 

 some financial incentives are provided, especially if foreign 

 exchange, which is desperately needed by third world countries is 

 involved. Natural mortality offers an opportunity to generate 

 such exchange, and to produce funds for conservation. In the case 

 of turtles, I have suggested elsewhere (Mrosovsky 1983b) that one 

 third of doomed eggs be collected for consumption while the other 

 two thirds be protected. The eggs to be taken for consumption 

 should be handled in a way that generates as much revenue as 

 possible, as much as possible for covering the costs of the whole 

 scheme and the protection of the beaches and the other eggs, or, 

 perhaps better, for protection at some later stage of the life 

 cycle. Some imagination and marketing skills could be helpful. 

 Suppose, for example, that just as a limited number of permits 

 are issued to trophy hunters for game in Africa or for polar 

 bears in Canada, so a limited number of permits were sold to 

 tourists in the Caribbean for egg collecting. There will be 

 those who will find this idea quite as appalling as others find 

 the suggestion of leaving doomed eggs in the ground to be washed 

 away by the seas. But let managers and fisheries officials be 

 asked which of the following two approaches will result in more 

 turtles being saved: designating parks and reserves for which so 

 often there are inadequate funds for enforcement, or obtaining 

 funds from controlled commercialization and using those funds to 

 protect other turtles? With the huge natural mortality, 

 compensatory actions for the taking of eggs can easily be 

 provided through hatcheries or other measures. These activities 

 will have the added advantage of putting government personnel on 

 the beaches; this in itself can discourage poachers. Some of the 

 experienced poachers could be employed as guides, boatmen and 

 wardens . 



The particular suggestion of licensed egg hunting is just a 

 hypothetical example. The general point is that there are only 

 limited funds for conservation. In the long run governments may 

 be more disposed to support wildlife departments that attract 

 tourists or bring in some money on their own in other ways. The 

 huge natural mortality of sea turtles is sometimes seen simply as 

 just one more pressure pushing these species toward extinction. 

 For example, a recent poster from the Belize Audubon Society 

 states "... the mortality of young turtles is naturally very 

 high. Therefore , turtle eggs are completely protected and their 

 harvesting is prohibited." But sea turtles have been designed to 

 withstand much natural mortality. This also offers an 

 opportunity for conservation schemes that are more imaginative 

 than total bans on harvesting. 



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