Preliminary research was carried out in period from 1993 to 1995. Activities was orientated on research of frequency of turtle-finding (capture), use (purpose) of captured specimens, etc., in order to make preliminary picture on marine turtles in the Adriatic.
The data were collected in two main ways:
1. Data from existing literature and museum catalogues. Investigations were carried out
on the collections of the Croatian Natural History Museum, and the Natural History Museums
in Rijeka, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik, Beograd, Udine and Rovinj.
2. The majority of records were gathered through personal contacts with the local people
during field research, and through questionnaire forms distributed along the eastern Adriatic
coast. This part of the research was carried out in coordination with scientists in the
oceanographic institutes, aquariums and natural history museums (the "field-bases" of the
project along the Croatian and Slovenian coast), together with volunteers in fishermen's and
diving societies, harbor masters offices and their branches, students of biology, etc.
All questionnaires returned were examined and the records entered into the registration papers, where each data received a coded number.
One of the problems was species determination, which was impossible to do precisely in most cases. Because of that, almost all newly collected data were determined to the family level, except those for which we were in the possession of taxidermic animals, armament ("shell"), or photo-documentation.
The first detailed information on the status of marine turtles were for the central and southeastern Adriatic coast, presented in papers by LAZAR & TVRTKOVIÆ (in press), where 73 data on records and observations of 620 specimens are discussed.
Further results of complete preliminary research on marine turtles along the eastern
Adriatic coast were presented in papers by LAZAR & TVRTKOVIC, 1995. In total, 166 data on
records and observations of 1,286 specimens were analyzed. 57 specimens of the Loggerhead
Turtle were recorded, 4 of the Green Turtle, and 5 of the Leathery Turtle; while 109 data on
records of 1,220 specimens of the family Cheloniidae are still unidentified. According to the
information from fishermen, three schools of turtles were seen, and in three cases the turtles
were recorded on the beach.
Also, preliminary analysis of incidental catch is given.