Coinrefri and WWF together to protect turtles in Peru

WWF Peru, together with several companies in the industry, is carrying out a series of talks and training sessions as part of the Peru Mahi Alliance action plan to help raise awareness and mitigate the incidental capture of turtles by Peruvian fisheries.

These workshops seek to train industrial fishing workers to properly release sea turtles when these species are incidentally caught on their vessels.

Five of the seven species of sea turtles in the world are found in the country: Galapagos, Green, Common padloper, Loggerhead, and Hawksbill; some are already in danger of extinction. Therefore, the joint efforts of different institutions, such as companies, NGOs, and the public sector, are significant to preserve these species.

At Coinrefri, since November 2020, training sessions have been held every time a vessel arrives at the dock. Debora Lopez, Quality Management Analyst, organizes and gives informative talks to workers, including sustainable fishing, bycatch, handling turtles on board, and the correct way to release turtles.

For proper handling and release, the tool kit provided to the vessels consists of:

• 01 fishing net
• 01 liner cutter,
• 01 J-shaped hook,
• 01 pigtail hook.

By Monday, February 1st, we had trained ten boats, and we hope that, in the next few months, we will continue to train as many vessels as possible to raise awareness about turtles and other endangered marine species.

Coinrefri SRL is committed to avoiding damage to the turtle before it returns to the sea. Fishermen should not expose the turtle to the sun, do not turn it over and take it from specific areas of the carapace. Likewise, the boat must stop to prevent the turtle from being hit when it is returned.

Together, we can reduce this threat and preserve these five species of turtles in our seas.