Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for St. Kitts and Nevis - WIDECAST

CEP Technical Report No. 17
Q: Did you ever find the eggs, but not the turtle and take the eggs A: No. Q: Why A: Because
we get more turtles when they hatch out.
Q: How do you know when the turtle is coming in A: You look up in the sky over the sea and
see its tracks, then you go about 9:00 o'clock and the turtle reaches in after midnight.
Q: How do you go about killing the turtle A: You have to wait until the turtle reaches shore
properly and then kill it because if as it reaches out you try to kill it, it will go back into
the water and they can swim fast.
Q: How is the turtle killed A: I kill it by throwing it on its back and cutting its belly.
Q: How many did you hunt for the past 13 months A: None at all.
Q: When does the turtle season start and end A: It starts in April and ends in June.
Q: What does turtle meat taste like A: Something like fish a bit raw.
Final note: Turtle shells can also be used for different items, such as ornaments, chairs, tables
INTERVIEW ON SEA TURTLES
Canesha Francois
Grade 6A, Cayon Primary, October 1992
Interviewee: Dezroy Williams, Cayon
* * *
Q: How many times did you catch a turtle A: One time.
Q: How many turtles did you catch A: I caught two turtles.
Q: When was the last time you caught a turtle A: Two months ago.
Q: What time of day or night was it A: It was 9:15 in the night on the 24th of August 1992.
Q: How did you go about capturing and/or killing the turtle A: In the day I saw its track in the
sky so I went down to the bay about 7:30 pm and waited.
Q: What do you use the shell for A: For souvenirs.
Q: How did you make turtle oil A: While the turtle is boiling in what we called a "copper",
the oil floats on top and you scoop it out with a spoon.
Q: Are turtles hard to catch A: Sometimes, it depends on the position it is in.
SEA TURTLES
Lissimba Wilkes
Grade 6B, Cayon Primary, October 1992
Interviewee: James Skelton, Keys Village
* * *
From February to May is turtle season. People know when to hunt for turtle because they see a
cloud in the sky [that] looks different to the other clouds in the sky. When people see this cloud
they know that a turtle is coming in on land or is on land. When people catch turtles they go
with their eggs and make pancakes with them because turtle eggs can't just fry like a fowl egg.
A turtle lays up to two hundred eggs and only about fifty may hatch, but when they go to the sea
only about three will live. Mr. Solas told me that he was the master of catching turtles in Keys.
He could have caught three to five turtles a year. He goes in front of the turtle to catch it. He
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