Sea turtles are under threat of extinction and are preserved by treaty, law, and conservation practices. However, they have also played an important role as a food source and contributed to the development of people like inhabiting in coastal community. One example can be seen at the Ogasawara islands located in the south of Japan. The people in the island have a deep relationship with Green sea turtle(Chelonia mydas)ever since the island was first inhabited. About 190 years ago, there were so many green sea turtles around the island. People captured them continuously because there were no edible mammals and livestock on the island and the government encouraged capturing. As a result, the number of individuals had decreased significantly. Following this reduction, the world's first "artificial incubation and release project" had started. After that, the idea of using green sea turtles sustainably while protecting them began on the island and the regulations such as quotas were formed. Nowadays, green sea turtles are captured based on a rule established by Tokyo and the number of catches is restricted. All parts of sea turtle are consumed and several modern cuisines are produced while leaving traditional tastes. In Ogasawara, using green sea turtles sustainably has been inherited up to the present as a traditional culture with surveys and conservation efforts have been put in place to restore the population.
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