Hello trusty turtle followers!
We have had a little break while our turtle season has been
quiet but the time is upon us once more, with the first nests of the season
recorded! These nests have broken the records for the earliest nests recorded in
the Cayman Islands with the first being laid on the 8th of April! Is
this record breaking streak going to continue throughout the season I wonder?
With our biggest recorded turtle nesting season being in 2013 with over 300
nests across the Cayman Islands this may very well be the case! Interns and
volunteers get some rest now I feel my turtle senses tingling!
So it’s time to get your walking flip flops, check,
sunscreen slapped on, check, and hats at the ready, check, as we begin the
first morning walks of the season this week. But did you know that we are also
continuing for the second year in a row our night time tagging program? No?
Well let’s see about sorting that one out!
In 2014 the DoE was
awarded a Darwin Plus grant funded by the UK Department of Environment, Food
and Rural Affaires (DEFRA) to investigate “Socioeconomic
aspects of turtle conservation in the Cayman Islands”. In a nutshell the
project is: a) looking at the contribution of the Turtle Farm to the islands’
wild population, b) looking at the cultural importance and prevalence of turtle
meat consumption across all three islands, c) looking at illegal take and how
this may be influenced by supply and demand, d) looking at management targets
to reduce illegal take.
So how is in progress so far?
With the Darwin grant the DoE was able to start a comprehensive
night time tagging program of nesting females. By patrolling beaches at night,
DoE tagged 21 nesting females in 2014. If you remember back to when we looked
at the biology of the sea turtles, females on average come back to nest every
two to three years. As 2013 was a record season we expect to have a very busy
season ahead of us in 2015. Very exciting times indeed!
Over the years, the turtle farm has released over 30,000 individuals
into the wild. In order to determine population size and identify farm released
turtles nesting in the wild, nesting individuals are tagged with 2 numbered flipper
tags in their fore flippers and a microchip in the shoulder. A proportion of
farm released individuals were also released with a living tag which can be
used to identify which year the hatchlings were released: this is also
documented as well as a small genetic sample taken. The samples currently
collected are in the first stages of their genetic analysis now, and with the
green nesting season predicted to start in early June it’s time for DoE
interns, staff and volunteers to catch up on sleep now!
In 2014 a socioeconomic survey took place across all three
islands with 991 interviews completed. These included households, high school
students, restaurants and tourists. The results of the interviews will be used
to see how culturally important turtle meat is, as well as the influence of
price, availability and the preference for farmed or wild meat is to the Cayman
Islands.
So you see we are not just doing morning walks to identify
where the turtles are nesting but also a lot more behind the scenes. If you are
interested in getting involved with more turtle related volunteering then
please do get in contact with us. Details to follow. I would also like to add a
side note that we are hoping to dedicate our Wednesdays to promote more public
awareness, be this through educational talks, public excavations and in the
evenings public hatchling releases. So if you know of any group or school that
may be interested in either of these things then please do not hesitate to get
in contact with us.
As always if you would like more information on what we do
or you have a turtle related report then please get in contact with us. Send us
an email on doe@gov.ky or call us on our turtle
hotline 938-NEST(6378).
Bring on 2015! We are ready… are you?!
Luc J
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