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

CEP Technical Report No. 17
Nevis as a home remedy for colds and congestion. On both islands, sea turtles were harvested
without any knowledge on the part of the hunters as to the size of the populations at large, or the
number of individuals that could be sustainably taken each year.
In the National Report for St. Kitts/Nevis prepared for the 1983 Western Atlantic Turtle
Symposium (WATS I), Wilkins and Meylan (1984) described five landing sites for turtle
products -- Basseterre (caught with "set nets from Nevis"), Sandy Point ("set nets, spear,
nesting"), Indian Castle ("set nets, spear"), St. Paul's ("set nets, spear"), and Dieppe Bay ("set
nets, spear"). Typical turtle nets are gill nets 50-75 feet long and 10 feet deep, with a mesh size
of 8-10 inches (Barrett, 1987). In a later report, Wilkins and Barrett (1987) conceded that turtles
were "relatively low in abundance" as compared to 1983 when the first survey had been
conducted. Nests made on Conaree Beach in 1987 were found poached "within a day or two".
Prior to and during the Conaree Beach survey, two leatherbacks were legally taken there. In all,
more than 50 turtles (hawksbills, green turtles, loggerheads, leatherbacks) were caught in St.
Kitts during the 1986-1987 open season. The meat was consumed locally. Hawksbill shells
were either sold to a buyer from neighbouring islands, or sold to a local buyer who, in turn, sold
them to an outside buyer. In Nevis, about 20 fishermen "fully engaged in turtle fishing" operated
some 36 nets in inshore areas, along the peninsula of St. Kitts, and near beaches "known to be
frequented by turtles". Total catch in Nevis for the October 1986-May 1987 open season was
estimated to be 110 turtles, mainly hawksbill and green turtles (average: 65 lb). Hawksbills were
caught most frequently; leatherbacks were occasionally caught and released because the meat
was not favoured. Hawksbill and green turtle meat was sold mostly to hotels. The shells were
used for decoration and jewelry; some fishermen "swinged" (charred and broke) them for use as
fish trap bait.
By the 1987-1988 season, only eight fishermen were directly engaged in turtle fishing in
Nevis and they operated 10 turtle nets; the catch of 47 turtles, the majority being female
hawksbills, was considered relatively low (Barrett, 1988). Based largely on interviews with
fishermen and Fisheries Officers, d'Arbeau (1989) reported that green turtles and hawksbills
were caught by spearing on the coral reefs, particularly those offshore the Southeast Peninsula.
Turtle nets were also set (mostly by Nevis fishermen) in the two mile channel separating St. Kitts
and Nevis. According to Assistant Fisheries Officer Audra Barrett (pers. comm. in d'Arbeau,
1989), Nevis recorded an annual turtle catch of 110-120 greens and hawksbills in 1988 and an
estimated 1989 catch of 60-70; most of the turtles were caught off the Southeast Peninsula.
"Turtle watches" are also carried out by fishermen who await the return of a nesting female
13-15 days after laying. Once laying has been accomplished, the eggs are removed and the turtle
turned and slaughtered. Eggs are either consumed locally (often rolled in flour and seasoning
and deep-fried) or sold to certain hotels on the island at approximately EC$ 6.00 per dozen
(Kenyon Griffin, pers. comm. in d'Arbeau, 1989). Traditionally the leatherback has not been
captured primarily for meat, but rather for oil. The eggs of all three species are considered a
delicacy and also regarded as having aphrodisiac properties. Eggs are collected when a track
reveals the presence of a nest, which is usually located by probing. Anslyn (1982) reported to
the 1982 CCA Annual Meeting that "turtle eggs, considered a delicacy by some, are still being
taken from nests during the closed season."
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