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

St. Kitts and Nevis Sea Turtles…
Frigate Bay, Old Road Bay, Sandy Point), varying degrees of overall reef health were observed.
Sand Bank Bay and North Frigate Bay were described as "poor"; substantial amounts of broken
and damaged corals (mostly elkhorn, Acropora sp.) were observed, as well as excessive algal
growth. Old Road was found to be in "good" condition and Sandy Point in "fair" condition. The
latter two sites had less algae and a greater diversity of invertebrates and fishes. It is widely held
among local divers that St. Kitts' Atlantic reefs are dying. The mortality appears to be patchy
and particularly severe offshore from Jack Tar Village and north toward Half Moon Bay; the
cause is not known (Joseph Simmonds, Fisheries Officer, pers. comm., 1992).
3.2 Disease or Predation
The extent to which disease and predation negatively influence the survival prospects of
sea turtles in St. Kitts/Nevis has not been quantified, but there is no reason to believe that either
factor is out of balance or poses a serious threat. Green turtle fibropapilloma disease has been
observed by SCUBA dive operator Kenneth Samuel, but only "a couple times and not recently".
The disease is a herpesvirus-like infection which has been reported elsewhere in the region (see
Jacobson, 1990) and is extensively documented in Florida (Ehrhart, 1991). Symptoms include
external tumors of varying sizes. The tumors can result in blindness and debilitation; in several
cases, internal tumors have been seen in the lungs, intestinal surface, and kidneys (Jacobson,
1990). The cause of this potentially fatal disease is not known. If turtles with visible tumors are
captured they should be released. Under no circumstances should diseased turtles be eaten.
Major predators on sea turtle eggs and hatchlings include both indigenous (ants, crabs,
birds) and exotic (dogs, mongooses, pigs) species. Wilkins and Meylan (1984) mentioned dogs
and mongooses as predators of hatchlings. Wild pigs foraging at the dump near Conaree, St.
Kitts, occasionally roam the beach and may disturb turtle eggs (pigs are significant egg predators
elsewhere in the Wider Caribbean region). d'Arbeau (1989) estimated hatchling loss to crabs,
birds, and mammals (and desiccation in one case) on seven Southeast Peninsula beaches from 23
June to 31 July 1989 to be 21.28% (Table 2). The exotic species have had a particularly
devastating effect on the native fauna; ground birds are now scarce, sea turtles are endangered,
and the mountain chicken, agouti, and iguana are all extinct (CCA, 1991). There is no evidence
that monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) resident on the Southeast Peninsula pose any threat to sea
turtles or their eggs and hatchlings (R. Young, pers. comm., 1989).
A wide variety of fishes consume hatchlings at sea. As the turtles grow, their
vulnerability to predation is reduced. Only the larger sharks and killer whales (Orca orcinus) can
successfully challenge a fully armoured turtle. In January 1992, a 3 m tiger shark was landed at
Oualie Beach Resort, Nevis, and found to have ingested a juvenile hawksbill about 30 cm in
carapace length (Young, 1992). d'Arbeau (1989) described a shark attack on an adult green
turtle in shallow waters off the Southeast Peninsula in June 1989; "wave action brought the
injured female close to shore where she was ... slaughtered by the road construction crew."
Fishermen and divers occasionally see turtles with missing or partially missing flippers, a
condition which is likely to be attributable to shark encounter. Some years ago, leatherback
remains were found in the stomachs of three killer whales captured off St. Vincent (Caldwell and
Caldwell, 1969).
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