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

St. Kitts and Nevis Sea Turtles…
On Nevis, nesting has been reported at Pinneys Bay, Red Cliff, and Indian Castle
(Wilkins and Meylan 1984) and occasionally on the north coast on beaches in the Newcastle
area. Nesting is rare to nonexistent at Pinneys due to increased levels of human activity and the
beach at Indian Castle has been "destroyed" by sand mining (A. Barrett, pers. comm., 1991). At
the present time, the most important green turtle beaches in Nevis are believed to be the pocket
beaches in the Newcastle area, and White and Landing bays on the southeast coast (A. Barrett,
pers. comm., 1992). Both juvenile and adult green turtles are harvested, especially during the
open season (1 October-31 May); see section 3.3.
2.3 Dermochelys coriacea, Leatherback Sea Turtle
Leatherbacks, referred to in St. Kitts as "river turtles", are the largest of the sea turtles.
Females nesting in the Caribbean typically weigh 300-500 kg (650-1100 lb). The largest
leatherback on record is a male that stranded on the coast of Wales in 1988 and weighed 916 kg
(2015 lb) (Morgan, 1989). The species is easily distinguished from other sea turtles because it
lacks a bony shell, having instead a slightly flexible skin-covered carapace. The smooth, black
skin is spotted with pale yellow or white. The tapered carapace is raised into seven prominent
ridges and measures 130-165 cm in straight-line length (Figure 3). Powerful front flippers
extend nearly the length of the body. Leatherbacks are found in the tropics, as well as in cold
Canadian and European waters; they have the most extensive range of any reptile. Leatherbacks
are seasonal visitors to St. Kitts/Nevis, arriving in the early months of the year to lay their eggs.
It is likely that they leave north-temperate foraging and residence areas to come to St.
Kitts/Nevis and then return to these latitudes after egg-laying is complete (cf. Eckert and Eckert,
1988).
The nesting season is said to occur between March and May (Meylan, 1983) but it is
likely, based on the season in neighbouring islands, that some nesting continues through mid
July. Turtle hunters interviewed by primary school children indicated that the season in St. Kitts
spans February to June (see Appendix I). Data collected at the well-studied nesting ground at
Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge (St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands) indicate that each female
deposits an average of 6-7 clutches of eggs at 10-day intervals during the nesting season.
Females generally return to nest every 2-3 years, but individuals occasionally nest in consecutive
years and sometimes return after intervals longer than three years. Clutch size is typically
60-100 yolked eggs, averaging 85 (Basford et al., 1990); a variable number of small, yolkless
eggs is also deposited. The eggs incubate in the sand at a depth of 60-70 cm. Hatchlings emerge
from their nest, generally at dusk, 60-65 days after egg-laying.
In St. Kitts, most nesting occurs on the Atlantic coast and principally from Cayon River
to Key Ghaut (there is also some nesting south of Key Ghaut, despite the offshore reef), but also
on beaches as far south as Sand Bank Bay. Residents of the village of Keys ("Turtle Town")
reported to Meylan (1983) that 8-12 leatherbacks nested annually between Cayon River and Key
Ghaut. Meylan found seven tracks of varying ages on this beach on 19 May 1983. The
following year, Wilkins and Meylan (1984) reported nesting at Conaree, North Friar's Bay, Sand
Bank Bay, and Sandy Point, the latter on the Caribbean coast (Figures 4 and 5). Caribbean coast
nesting appears to be considerably less frequent than Atlantic coast nesting, though Sandy Point
is recognized as an important area. An early report by Caldwell and Rathjen (1969) indicated
that two leatherbacks were taken in June 1968, including one taken on the beach at Belle Tete,
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