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

CEP Technical Report No. 17
sold at the road side, passers by would stop and purchase what they wanted. Many people do not
eat turtle meat as they say it smells too "rawish", but it tastes delicious. The fin is boiled and that
is very gluey, you can go where they boil it and get it free, just carry a container. The turtle scent
is so strong that for more than a week it can still be smelt in the village. The fisher-man takes a
machete with him when he goes to catch a turtle, they say you wait until she finishes digging her
hole to lay her eggs and when she starts [to] cover them back over they go in front of her and
turn her over on her back; if they go behind her the amount of sand she kicks up to cover the
eggs will blind them.
* * *
TURTLES
Verzelle Smithen
Grade 6, Estridge Primary, October 1992
Interviewee: Nolma Lowry
Recipe
Beat eggs and mix with herbs, seasoning,
and a little flour. Heat cooking oil in pan
and drop in small amounts to make a fritter.
Turtles are very heavy.
Turtles dig three feet and then cover their eggs.
To catch turtles you turn them over on their backs so they can't get away from fishermen who
love to capture them.
When the turtle finishes laying her eggs, she covers them and goes back to the sea.
Turtles dig a nest hole with their fins and people take away their eggs for food.
When tractors come and people run their vehicles on the sand, the eggs are all crushed.
Turtle meat is very delicious and the eggs are eaten like salt fish cakes.
TURTLES
Clytie Willette
Grade 6A, Molineux Primary, October 1992
* * *
Turtles are reptiles. They lay eggs on land. After the eggs are hatched the turtles walk straight
into the sea. A turtle lays about one hundred eggs. Some turtles live in the sea and some live on
land. In St. Kitts, fishermen like to catch turtles. Turtles feed their young ones by giving them
fishes, big ones and little ones. Here in St. Kitts we have different types of turtles. The heads of
the turtles are very small. Smaller than their bodies. We get food from the turtles and turtle
eggs. The largest turtle is the Leatherback. People use turtle-back for decorations. The eggs
take about two months [to incubate]. When the turtles hatch not all of them would go back to the
sea. Some people take them to their homes for pets.
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