Demography of loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta in the southeastern Pacific Ocean: Fisheries-based observations and implications for management

Since 2000 we have used artisanal fishing operations as an opportunistic platform for inwater studies of marine megafauna, including sea turtles. We present data on loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta incidentally captured by artisanal longline and gillnet fisheries activities operating from 7 ports along the coast of Peru. Data on location, body size and apparent maturity class of loggerheads were gathered. A total of 323 loggerhead turtle captures were recorded between latitudes 13 and 22° S in waters from 46.5 to 637.1 km off shore. Curved carapace length (CCL) ranged from 35.9 to 86.3 cm (mean ± SD = 57.2 ± 9.18 cm, n = 307), which equated to a predominance of juvenile turtles. The substantial fishing effort of the fisheries sampled (63 083 gillnet and 11 316 longline trips yr^-1) underscores the importance of mitigating fisheries impacts on loggerheads in the southeastern Pacific. We recommend that regional research and conservation work quantitatively document and, where possible, reduce impacts to loggerheads in the southeastern Pacific foraging area.