World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

ANGUILLAprocess of being mined for sand for construction purposes.EXPLOITATIONCommodity The carapaces and meat of Hawlcsbills and Green Turtles weresold locally or on St Martin, and the eggs of all species were takenwhenever they were found (Meylan, 1983). Meylan (1983) reported there wasno local handcraft in tortoiseshellHunting intensity In 1980, only about ten people were engaged in settingnets for turtles (Meylan, 1983). According to Richardson and Gumbs (1984),between five and ten people annually were involved in turtle fishing, thoughnone were exclusively dependent on this activity. Some divers who hadbecome aware of the value of tortoiseshell now concentrated on fishing forHawksbills (Meylan, 1983).Hunting methods The traditional method of setting tangle nets wasapparently dying out due to the increasing cost of net materials andgasoline, and because fishermen were turning to the more lucrative lobsterbusiness. Sea turtles were now predominantly taken by young divers whocombed the reefs in search of lobster, fish and conch. Although they tookturtles opportunistically, the use of spearguns enabled these divers tocatch nearly every turtle they encountered (Meylan, 1983). Meylan (1983)considered the Hawksbill to be by far the most vulnerable species because itshared the habitat of the lobster. Richardson and Gumbs (1984) reportedlanding sites for turtles at Sandy Ground, Island Harbour, Crocus Bay andRendezvous Bay. The turtles landed here were caught by both turtle nets andspear guns.Historical trends As tourism in the region increased, exploitationpressures escalated and, with the growth in the use of spearguns, moreturtles were being killed than ever before (Meylan, 1983).Domestic trade Meylan (1983) described the domestic trade in turtles andturtle products on Anguilla. Green Turtle and Hawksbill meat was soldlocally to individuals and to hotels, the price in 1980 being approximatelyUS$2 a kg. The dried and prepared carapaces of Green Turtles and Hawksbillswere also sold locally, though the volume of trade was considered to besmall. Meylan saw the shells of 15 juvenile Hawksbills and one sub-adultGreen Turtle for sale at various places on Anguilla. All of the Hawksbillshells were below the 9 kg minimum size limit and had, therefore, beencaptured illegally. There appeared to be no trade in turtle eggs,presumably because of their scarcity. Richardson and Gumbs (1984) reportedthe sale of polished carapaces of juvenile Hawksbills at a gift shop inSandy Ground, at the airport and at a restaurant/bar in Island Harbour.International trade Aspects of international trade were also describedby Meylan (1983). Some fishermen sold turtle meat on St Martin, where therewas a steady demand to supply the hotel restaurants. Tortoiseshell was soldto buyers on St Martin or to entrepreneurs from St Thomas and Puerto Rico,who periodically visited Anguilla for this purpose. The price for raw shellin 1980 was US$2 a kg.Anguilla is a British dependency but is not covered by the UK's ratificationof CITES. CITES annual reports for the period 1977-1985 did not record anytrade in sea turtles or their products to or from Anguilla.64