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

CEP Technical Report No. 17
Oil in the possession of Charles Solas was selling for EC$ 11-12 per bottle in the summer of
1992. There is apparently no market for leatherback meat or oil in Nevis. Green and hawksbill
meat is consumed locally or exported to neighbouring islands (section 3.3). In contrast to the
situation prior to the 1970's when the turtle fishery was a major source of income for some
fishermen, there are no fishermen at the present time that depend solely or principally on sea
turtles or their eggs for their livelihood. Interview data suggest that monies derived from turtles
comprise less than 10% of a fisherman's income.
It is clear that the days of abundance are over. Fishermen alive today remember a time
when ocean resources of all kinds seemed infinite. This is no longer the case, not with fishes,
not with lobsters, not with turtles. It will not be easy for micro-states like St. Kitts/Nevis to meet
the challenges of the twenty first century, but one thing is certain -- if we do not actively pursue a
vision of the future that includes native wildlife, then the islands we pass to our children will be
impoverished of spirit and weakened of potential. The future of our now endanger-ed sea turtles
currently rests in the hands of a few hunters who are exterminating them. If we do nothing as a
government or as a community to improve the economic status of our fishermen and to educate
ourselves not, for instance, to consume turtle eggs, then the turtles will surely be exterminated in
our lifetimes. What will St. Kitts/Nevis look like in thirty years It seems like a long time, but
in fact it represents but a single generation for a sea turtle. Will there still be sandy beaches
suitable for incubating eggs Healthy coral reefs Clean water The time for decision -- and
action -- is now.
This Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan is dedicated to the next generation, to a future that
includes both economic prosperity for people and the survival of sea turtles. Much of the general
background narrative was drawn from the recently completed Country Environmental Profile for
St. Kitts and Nevis (CCA, 1991) and from the remarkable volume of documentation compiled in
1989 for the Southeast Peninsula Land Development and Conservation Board. The Profile was
prepared under the aegis of the Caribbean Conservation Association (CCA) with technical
support from the Island Resources Foundation, the St. Christopher Heritage Society (SCHS), and
the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society (NHCS). The Southeast Peninsula reports were
prepared by a variety of experts and made possible by a grant from the U. S. Agency for
International Development. Both the Profile and detailed information now available on the
natural resources of the Southeast Peninsula constitute major contributions to the literature
available to local policy-makers, who must make increasingly difficult decisions balancing the
long-term requirements of ecology and economy.
Similarly, but with a much more focused agenda, this comprehensive Sea Turtle
Recovery Action Plan is designed to provide policy-makers and non-government groups with
detailed information requisite to make informed decisions. This document, tailored specifically
to the circumstances of St. Kitts and Nevis, is one of a series of Recovery Action Plans
developed by the WIDECAST project. It was written in collaboration with the WIDECAST
network in St. Kitts/Nevis and with the support of a regional team of sea turtle experts. Joan
Robinson (Curator, Museum of Nevis History) and Tom Honebrink (Conservation Officer, SEP
Land Development and Conservation Board) are the WIDECAST Country Coordinators [N.B.
Honebrink, a Peace Corps Volunteer, will be replaced as project coordinator in St. Kitts at the
end of his tour in mid-1993; a member of the SCHS will be selected to fill the position]. Our in-
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