Veterinar, Vol. 59. No. 2., 2021.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
Assessment of Fishermen’s General Opinion and Knowledge About Dolphins and Sea Turtles in Croatia
Iva Macan
orcid.org/0000-0001-7443-3333
Aneta Piplica
; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Martina Đuras
; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Sažetak
Whales (Cetacea) and sea turtles (Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas, Dermochelys coriacea) are protected species in Croatia. However, a large number of them die after becoming caught up in fishing gears. The aim of this research was to explore fishermen’s opinions and knowledge of these animals, to determine the potential problems and propose possible solutions for their better conservation. The research was carried out using a questionnaire on the Google Forms platform between 1st February and 1st March 2021. The questionnaire was filled out by 39 fishermen from seven counties in Croatia. The polled fishermen believe that dolphins must be protected (53.8 %), although some of them (25.6 %) think that it would be better if there were no dolphins at all in the area. On the other hand, 79.5 % of the polled fishermen consider sea turtles important and in need of protection. The polled fishermen (97.4 %) are aware that dolphins are mammals and that they use their lungs to breathe, while only 64.1 % of them know that turtles are reptiles. All the polled fishermen know that dolphins and sea turtles are legally protected. There is a higher incidence of fishermen encountering dolphins (on average 4.57) than sea turtles (on average 3.07). Most of the polled fishermen (59.0 %) have used the state compensation option for equipment damage caused by dolphins. Most of the polled fishermen (64.1 %) know of, but do not use “pingers”, and mention inefficiency and their high price as the reason, and 71.8 % of them have never heard of a turtle excluder device (TED). Most fishermen (71.8 %) would use these devices and bycatch reduction techniques if they were to receive state incentives. The general stance of the polled fishermen towards sea turtles is more positive than towards dolphins, so education of fishermen could be introduced to increase their knowledge about these protected species.
Ključne riječi
dolphins; sea turtles; general stance; fishing; bycatch
Hrčak ID:
273556
URI
Datum izdavanja:
20.1.2022.
Posjeta: 590 *