World Turtle Day
Protectors in Guyana boast of relative success
By Vanessa Narine
As countries the world over celebrated World Turtle Day last Saturday, Guyana’s own sea turtle protectors boasted of relative success after nearly two decades of efforts to save the animals.

Mr. Romeo De Freitas, coordinator of The Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society (GMTCS) which operates from the sea turtle haven, Shell Beach, in Region One (Barima/Waini), stated that from observation, the sea turtle population is on the rise.

“Generally, our efforts have paid off and we have seen the fruits of our labour,” he said.

The GMTCS coordinator stated that no carcasses have been seen recently and there has been a reduction by 98 percent in sea turtle killings.

Shell Beach is home to the Leatherback, Green, Hawksbill and Olive Ridley turtles.

“Currently, we see an average of 15 sea turtles each night, but that is only the Leatherback and Green turtles, the others will come later on in the season.

For turtles, the May/ June period is a busy time as they engage in a search for mates and nesting areas.

The observation of World Turtle Day on May 23 was initiated in 2000 by the American Tortoise Rescue, a turtle and tortoise rescue organisation founded in 1990 in Malibu, California. The group highlighted turtle conservation issues and ways each individual can help protect this fascinating yet vulnerable species.

“Protecting sea turtles becomes part of you, it has become a part of me,” De Freitas said.

He explained that as a child, his father was a sea turtle hunter, so it is rewarding to tip the scales a little in favour of those most affected, the sea turtles.

De Freitas said, “At GMTCS, we save turtles and their eggs, we release hatchlings and we avoid the impact of humans on the animals.”

Sea Turtles Understood…

These creatures are found in warm and temperate seas throughout the world.

Green sea turtles reach about 78 to 112 cm (31-44 in.) and 68 to 186 kg (150-410 lbs.).

The Hawksbills reach about 53 to 114 cm (21-45 in.) and 27 to 86 kg (60-190 lb.) and the Olive Ridleys are the smallest species, as they only reach about 55 to 65 cm (22-30 in.) and 30 to 50 kg (66-110 lb.).

However, the leatherback, a fascinating creature, is the largest of all living sea turtles. Mature leatherbacks reach about 1.2 to 1.9 m (4-6 ft.) and 200 to 506 kg (441-1,116 lb.).

The adults of most of the species are found in shallow, coastal waters, bays, lagoons, and estuaries. Some also venture into the open sea. Juveniles of some species may be found in bays and estuaries, as well as at sea.

However, their migration habits differ not only among species, but also among different populations of the same species. Some sea turtle populations nest and feed in the same general areas; others migrate great distances.

With the leatherbacks, the longest migration of all sea turtles is seen. They have been found more than 4,831 km (3,000 miles) from their nesting beaches.

Green sea turtle populations migrate primarily along the coasts from nesting to feeding grounds. However, some populations will travel 2,094 km (1,300 miles) across the Atlantic Ocean from the Ascension Island nesting grounds to the Brazilian coast feeding grounds.

While much is known about the Leatherbacks and Green turtles, the Hawksbill migration studies have been limited. Still though, evidence suggests that some hawksbill populations show cyclic nesting migrations. Other researchers have documented non-migratory and short-distance migratory populations.

Similar observations have been made with populations of Olive Ridleys, who have been seen in large flotilla (groups) travelling between feeding and nesting grounds in the Eastern Pacific and Indian Oceans.

There are also marked differences in body shape, coloration, flippers, shells and sexual dimorphism.

Still despite being as different as day and night, the sea turtles share one common ground, the need to be protected.

According to the GMTCS coordinator, for conservation of a species to be successful, a three dimensional approach must be taken and these include;

* Provision of alternative avenues for the users of that which is to be conserved;

* Education awareness; and

* Law enforcement.

De Freitas lamented that even though this approach is taken, there are sometimes several challenges that present themselves.

Challenges of Protection…

Some of the hardships the GMTCS coordinator highlighted were the limitations of resources and fishermen not complying with international regulations that mandate them to have Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) on their vessels.

He said that the larger vessels have nets that are a minimum of one and a half miles in length.

To this end, De Freitas continued, the sea turtles get caught in the nets and without TEDs they are usually cut out of the nets, resulting in their ultimate death.

“Some of the sea turtles drift to shore with their limbs cut off, some of their flippers, for example, completely gone,” he lamented.

However, he lauded the Ministry of Fisheries’ initiative to declare a section of the waterways a no-netting zone for fishermen during the peak season.

This initiative was supplemented by extensive education awareness programmes.

Rewards in the face of challenges…

De Freitas stated that despite the challenges the work done by GMTCS is rewarding.

“The education programmes that have been undertaken in the past have seen the younger generation, primarily, being more responsive and accepting initiatives by GMTCS,” he said.

The coordinator explained that continuous programmes have been run for the youth in Region One, allowing them a hands-on approach to dealing with conservation.

De Freitas added, “They understand what it is and so assist us at community level or sometimes even join the GMTCS.”

This, he said, works to combat the challenge of human resources and pollution, which is a major threat to the sea turtles.

“The Leatherbacks feed on jelly fish and sometimes they mistake plastic bags for that and this often causes their death,” he explained.

He added that recently five dead leatherbacks surfaced and one was found to have died from suffocation after having ingested a plastic bag.

De Freitas said that the pace of works needs to be maintained so as to record better results at the next World Turtles Day.

“The fate of sea turtles depends on the individual and it is only together that we can save the sea turtles” he said.