Mass sea turtle slaughter at Pulau Tiga, Malaysia: Genetic studies indicate poaching locations and its potential effects
It is important to identify the location of illegal poaching and its effects on the conservation of endangered species. This study applied molecular techniques to estimate the origin of sea turtle carcasses (N = 53) found at Pulau Tiga, Kudat, Malaysia (Borneo) in 2014. All carcasses were of adult (...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989419300174 |
| _version_ | 1818435105240121344 |
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| author | Juanita Joseph Hideaki Nishizawa James M. Alin Rafidah Othman Gavin Jolis Irwan Isnain Jamili Nais |
| author_facet | Juanita Joseph Hideaki Nishizawa James M. Alin Rafidah Othman Gavin Jolis Irwan Isnain Jamili Nais |
| author_sort | Juanita Joseph |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | It is important to identify the location of illegal poaching and its effects on the conservation of endangered species. This study applied molecular techniques to estimate the origin of sea turtle carcasses (N = 53) found at Pulau Tiga, Kudat, Malaysia (Borneo) in 2014. All carcasses were of adult (77%) and large juvenile (23%) green turtles (Chelonia mydas). A total of 10 haplotypes of mitochondrial DNA were identified. A Bayesian mixed-stock analysis showed that the natal origin was mainly from the Sulu and Celebes Seas (uninformative prior: median = 53.0%, 95% credible interval [CI] = 34.5–76.9%; informative prior: median = 61.3%, CI = 36.9–89.4%). The estimation of source foraging grounds of the carcasses as poaching sites indicated the Brunei Bay in the South China Sea as the most probable source (median = 90.2%, CI = 11.2–99.9%), although caution is needed since there is a possibility of poaching at unsampled foraging grounds. The results indicate that such poaching has negative effects especially for the nesting populations at the Sulu and Celebes Seas. This study provides information that contributes to the development of measures against poaching activities by regional collaboration regarding sea turtle traffic and law enforcement in Southeast Asia. Keywords: Chelonia mydas, Mitochondrial DNA, South China sea, Sulu sea, Poaching, Illegal trade |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T16:47:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3eedda605e444288b1a8e74f952b8bf5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T16:47:35Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-3eedda605e444288b1a8e74f952b8bf52022-12-21T22:54:08ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942019-01-0117Mass sea turtle slaughter at Pulau Tiga, Malaysia: Genetic studies indicate poaching locations and its potential effectsJuanita Joseph0Hideaki Nishizawa1James M. Alin2Rafidah Othman3Gavin Jolis4Irwan Isnain5Jamili Nais6Endangered Marine Species Research Unit, Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia; Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia; Corresponding author. Endangered Marine Species Research Unit, Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, JapanFaculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MalaysiaEndangered Marine Species Research Unit, Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MalaysiaWWF-Malaysia, Suite 1-6-W11 6th Floor, CPS Tower, Centre Point Complex No. 1, Lorong Centre Point, Pusat Bandar, 88000, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MalaysiaSabah Parks, P.O.Box 10626, 88806, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MalaysiaSabah Parks, P.O.Box 10626, 88806, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MalaysiaIt is important to identify the location of illegal poaching and its effects on the conservation of endangered species. This study applied molecular techniques to estimate the origin of sea turtle carcasses (N = 53) found at Pulau Tiga, Kudat, Malaysia (Borneo) in 2014. All carcasses were of adult (77%) and large juvenile (23%) green turtles (Chelonia mydas). A total of 10 haplotypes of mitochondrial DNA were identified. A Bayesian mixed-stock analysis showed that the natal origin was mainly from the Sulu and Celebes Seas (uninformative prior: median = 53.0%, 95% credible interval [CI] = 34.5–76.9%; informative prior: median = 61.3%, CI = 36.9–89.4%). The estimation of source foraging grounds of the carcasses as poaching sites indicated the Brunei Bay in the South China Sea as the most probable source (median = 90.2%, CI = 11.2–99.9%), although caution is needed since there is a possibility of poaching at unsampled foraging grounds. The results indicate that such poaching has negative effects especially for the nesting populations at the Sulu and Celebes Seas. This study provides information that contributes to the development of measures against poaching activities by regional collaboration regarding sea turtle traffic and law enforcement in Southeast Asia. Keywords: Chelonia mydas, Mitochondrial DNA, South China sea, Sulu sea, Poaching, Illegal tradehttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989419300174 |
| spellingShingle | Juanita Joseph Hideaki Nishizawa James M. Alin Rafidah Othman Gavin Jolis Irwan Isnain Jamili Nais Mass sea turtle slaughter at Pulau Tiga, Malaysia: Genetic studies indicate poaching locations and its potential effects Global Ecology and Conservation |
| title | Mass sea turtle slaughter at Pulau Tiga, Malaysia: Genetic studies indicate poaching locations and its potential effects |
| title_full | Mass sea turtle slaughter at Pulau Tiga, Malaysia: Genetic studies indicate poaching locations and its potential effects |
| title_fullStr | Mass sea turtle slaughter at Pulau Tiga, Malaysia: Genetic studies indicate poaching locations and its potential effects |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mass sea turtle slaughter at Pulau Tiga, Malaysia: Genetic studies indicate poaching locations and its potential effects |
| title_short | Mass sea turtle slaughter at Pulau Tiga, Malaysia: Genetic studies indicate poaching locations and its potential effects |
| title_sort | mass sea turtle slaughter at pulau tiga malaysia genetic studies indicate poaching locations and its potential effects |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989419300174 |
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