World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

CAYMAN ISLANDSHusbandry Until 1975, the farm was situated in an inlet but the tidalflushing was inadequate and it was moved to a series of land-based concreteand fibre glass tanks (E.G. Roet, in litt. to R. Parsons, 17 February1983). The broodstock animals are kept in two ponds 0.167 and 0.192 ha inarea with maximum depths of 1.98 m and 2.8 m; each has a breeding beach atone end (Wood and Wood, 1981). Animals reared together tend not to mateuntil new stock is introduced; so to stimulate mating, the males areseparated from the females in December-January and re- introduced inMarch-April (Wood and Wood, 1981). Animals being reared are held inconcrete tanks ranging from 2 m by 3 m up to 21 m in diameter (J.R. Wood,in litt , 16 June 1983). All animals are fed on a commercially preparedpelleted ration.Finances Neither CTF nor its predecessors has made a profit in any yearof operation (Anon., 1985f). The finances of the farm were severely hit in1979 when the USA, previously the main importer, banned imports from thefarm. This caused them to reduce planned production from 12 000 turtles ayear to 1500 and the labour force was reduced from 92 to 24 (J.R. Wood,in litt. to A. Mason, 15 March 1982). The farm has a growing tourist incomefrom visitors to the farm, and derives the remainder of its income fromsales of meat and other products within the Cayman Islands. It is estimatedthat there is a local market for an annual production from 3000 turtles, bubthat the farm would not be profitable at that level of production withoutmore lucrative export markets (Ford, 1985). The target production forprofitability would be 5000 turtles a year, which would produce an income ofUS$800 000 from the sale of products and US$500 000 from tourists, giving aprofit of US$200 000.Releases Between 1969 and 1977, turtles varying in age from 10 to 36months were released at sites from which the eggs had been obtained: 600were released at Costa Rica, 208 at Ascension, 880 at Suriname and 24 onGrand Cayman. Since 1980, all the hatchlings have derived from turtles ofmixed origin breeding on the farm, and turtles have only been releasedaround the Cayman Islands, a total of 9448 having been released up to theend of 1984 (Anon., 1985e)LEGISLATIONEndangered Species Protection & Propagation Law 1978. (Repeals the TurtleProtection Law of 1969)The import and export of live or dead species on the schedule isprohibited without a licence from the Governor (includes parts andderivatives)This does not include the bringing into the Islands of turtles takenwithin the fishery limits of the Islands, if taking such turtles iscustomary and traditional, and the turtles are intended only forconsumption by people within the Islands.Import and export of shell and scales, unworked or simply prepared (butnot if cut to shape), the waste of the shell and scales and the claws ofall Cheloniidae is restricted.Schedule - Part 1 E. imbricata imbricataL. kempiiSchedule - Part 2 C. carettaC mydasC. depressaE. imbricata bissaL. olivacea128