Investigations On The Distribution Of Sea Turtles In The Chinese Coastal Waters And Comprehensive Evaluation On Huidong National Sea Turtle Reserve

Sea turtles are divided into2families,5genera and8species, including green turtle (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), hawksbill turtle (Erelmochelys imbrica), olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivavea), kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), flatback turtle (Natator depressus), leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), and black turtle (C.agassizii) which is still controversial. There are five species in the Chinese coastal waters, including green turtle, loggerhead turtle, hawksbill turtle, olive ridley turtle and leatherback turtle.Sea turtle is one of the few reptiles in the ocean which is widely distributed in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. With the rapid development of the coastal economy and the fishing industry, the marine ecological environment has been badly destroyed in recent years, that results in the population of sea turtles declining rapidly. Sea turtle is listed as an endangered species by Conservation on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), International Union for Conservation of Nature and National Resources (IUCN) and World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF). It is protected in order Ⅱ national protected species in China. There is the only sea turtle reserve of China in Huizhou city of Guangdong Province, which is Huidong national sea turtle reserve.The paper introduces distribution of different species in the Chinese coastal waters using the questionnaire survey. The survey is conducted in some fishing villages or ports in16cities along the coastal waters from Shandong to Guangxi, and962questionnaires are obtained totally. Meanwhile we collect the information of sea turtle bycatch or stranding. According to the results of survey and web-based information, we confirm the location of seeing sea turtles using GIS, the map of sea turtle distribution in the Chinese coastal waters is shown.We find five species distribute in the Chinese coastal waters according to the survey. Green turtle is the most common species in the Chinese coastal waters; olive ridley turtle and leatherback turtle are less. The probability of seeing sea turtles is larger in the East China Sea and the South China Sea than in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea. The probabilities in the East China Sea and the South China Sea is above50%, while in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea is all below50%. Most fishermen say that sea turtles become increasingly rare now. That indirectly shows the population of sea turtles arc declining. So we need to take some measurements to protecting sea turtle.The article conducts a comprehensive evaluation on Huidong national sea turtle reserve using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) from ecological level, socio-economic level and management level. There are13evaluation indicators which are scored, and then we get the comprehensive evaluation index of sea turtle reserve using comprehensive evaluation index calculation formula. It is0.678. It shows the quality of ecological management on Huidong national sea turtle reserve is in general. The ecological level and management level need to be improved.Through the survey of sea turtle on distribution in the Chinese coastal waters, we can see sea turtle is in danger in China. Sea turtle need to be protected urgently. We can know the distribution of marine wild animals intuitively by using (MS, and it can provide a scientific basis for the protection of marine wild animals and the establishment of marine protected areas. Meanwhile we evaluate I luidong national sea turtle reserve by using AHP. This provides a way to evaluate the other marine protected areas and forms a unified evaluation for marine protected areas through constant practice and application.