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

CEP Technical Report No. 17
hatchlings from successfully digging out of the nest. If leatherbacks are known to nest on site,
personnel should keep in mind that they begin nesting in April (sometimes March), peak in May,
and finish in early July.
It is worth noting that there is an imbalance in the system somewhere when sand is lost
from an otherwise predictable beach habitat and is not replaced by natural accretion processes.
The underlying cause can be as direct as an up-current solid jetty or pier that is literally
"starving" the down-current beaches by interrupting the constant longshore transport of sand and
sediments. Or the impetus may be more subtle, as occurs with the removal of beach vegetation
or when nearshore pollution retards the productivity of calcareous (coralline) algae and other
sand sources. [N.B. The National Conservation and Environment Protection Act, 1987, prohibits
removing or assisting in the removal of "any vegetation from a beach in Saint Christopher and
Nevis except under the authority of a permit" granted by the Minister.] The linkages between
development and the persistence of sandy beaches are complex, and should be considered with
great care before construction proximal to sandy beaches is permitted. If dunes are leveled,
vegetation removed and/or jetties constructed, the likelihood of committing the owners to
repetitive and increasingly expensive rebuilding is heightened and sometimes guaranteed. This
is not in the long-term interest of the people or sea turtles of St. Kitts/Nevis.
Beach rebuilding has not occurred to any significant degree in St. Kitts/Nevis, but
authorities should remain vigilant in this regard. Probably the most careless example of manipulation
was the illegal removal of beach sand in January 1992 from the primary dune at Sand
Bank Bay and the deposit of this sand at Cockleshell Bay. The imported sand was used to extend
and expand the beach at the site of the Casablanca Hotel under construction at Cockleshell Bay.
The Casablanca site had previously been denuded of vegetation and coconut palm trees planted.
The palms are not an effective wind break, however, and the imported sand remained on site for
only a matter of days before it was blown away. Such "face-lifting" for short-term aesthetic
purposes disrupts coastal ecology, sometimes severely so. The incident was particularly unfortunate
because the sand was stolen from a known sea turtle nesting area. Banana Bay beach was
also leveled and reshaped during the 1992 turtle nesting season by landmovers and dump trucks.
4.14 Prevent or mitigate degradation of marine habitat
4.141 Dynamiting reefs
The fishermen of St. Kitts and Nevis do not use dynamite or other explosives to assist in
the catching of fish. The Fisheries Act of 1984 explicitly forbids the use of "any explosive,
poison or other noxious substance for the purpose of killing, stunning, disabling or catching fish,
or in any way rendering fish more easily caught". Even the possession or control of any
explosive or other noxious substance in circumstances indicating that same may be used in the
act of catching fish constitutes an offence against the Act. The maximum fine upon summary
conviction is EC$ 1000. It is a recommendation of this Recovery Action Plan that the Act be
fully enforced with regard to explosives.
The use of dynamite to catch or stun fishes or to remove coral reef structure (e.g., to
provide boat access) results in severe and possibly permanent damage to the fragile coral. The
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