Review of marine turtles legislation in Samoa, Tuvalu, Marshall islands, Solomon islands and Fiji

Marine Turtle Species present: Three species of marine turtles have been recorded to occur in Samoa waters. The most common species are hawksbill [Eretmochelys imbricata] and green [Chelonia mydas] turtles, while only a few specimens of leatherback turtles [Dermochelys coriacea] have been caught tangled in long-line fishing lines for tuna in Samoan waters. Marine turtle satellite tagging by L’Aquarium des Lagons (New Caledonia) and NOAA in 2008 showed that one of the juvenile loggerheads released from the Marine Nationale Patrouilleur la Glorieuse, New Caledonia, travelled eastward and was near Samoa’s EEZ when the signal ceased. It is very likely that that loggerhead entered Samoan waters thus