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

CEP Technical Report No. 17
July (K. Orchard, pers. obs.). Sand Bank Bay was patrolled by several volunteers at 1-8 day
intervals between 6 June and 12 August; six leatherback nests were documented. Pereira also
reported a leatherback nest on Sand Bank Bay in May.
The results of the 1992 survey stand in stark contrast to d'Arbeau's work (Table 1).
Because only a fraction of the adult females in a population of sea turtles nests during any given
year, the number of females (and thus the number of nests) per beach fluctuate from year to year.
This is particularly true in small populations. Nevertheless, it is not reasonable to have 130 nests
recorded between 26 June and 31 July 1989 at South Friar's Bay (d'Arbeau, 1989) and not a
single nest observed between 29 June and 8 August 1992 (K. Orchard, pers. obs.). The
discrepancies underscore the need for comprehensive surveys designed to quantify the level of
nesting on the nation's beaches. In the interim, it should be assumed, based on published studies,
that Major's Bay and North Friar's Bay beaches on the SEP are among the most significant
nesting sites on St. Kitts, with Turtle/unnamed bay, Canoe, Sand Bank, and Mosquito bays also
relatively important and, on the Atlantic coast, Conaree Beach and Sandy Point. On Nevis, the
important areas are Cades Bay, Hurricane Hill, Newcastle, White Bay and Landing Bay.
In summary, with the exception of a few short-term and localised field surveys (Wilkins
and Barrett, 1987; d'Arbeau, 1989; SCHS, unpubl. data), nesting data are fragmentary and
largely anecdotal. Systematic nesting surveys are urgently needed. It is a recommendation of
this Recovery Action Plan that at least twice-weekly surveys (April-November) of potential
nesting habitat be undertaken. A Lead Organization on each island (perhaps SCHS and NHCS,
in cooperation with the Fisheries Division) should orchestrate the effort. The data should be
centrally compiled. Interested volunteers, preferably residents who live near sandy beaches,
should be assigned a beach to walk early in the morning on a specific schedule (ideally daily,
since wind, human, and animal activity will erase the crawls). A log should be kept of observed
crawls. Counted crawls should be gently swept clear both to preclude their being counted twice
and to lessen the probability that poachers will find the eggs. After a period of two years, the
beaches with the most nesting (at least two beaches on each island) should be monitored
thereafter (1 April-30 November, later if possible) as Index Beaches (see section 4.291). Field
workers should receive preparatory instruction prior to their survey efforts (section 4.55).
The aerial surveying of nesting beaches would be comparatively expensive (US$ 200/
day), but also very useful. Aerial surveys are especially suitable for monitoring leatherback
nesting because the tracks remain visible on the beach for several days. Money for three years of
biweekly aerial surveying during peak leatherback nesting season (April-June) has been
budgeted as part of the national Sea Turtle Conservation Project described in section 4.6. Every
advantage should be taken of aerial surveys conducted for other purposes that may include
opportunities to record sea turtle nesting activity. Assistance may be obtained from the U. S.
Navy during stop-overs in St. Kitts, at which time the pilots apparently offer assistance to local
agencies with aerial photography and other requests.
4.12 Develop area-specific management plans
Area-specific management plans are necessary in order to safeguard important sea turtle
foraging and nesting areas. At the present time there are no specific management plans for im-
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