Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for Barbados - WIDECAST

Barbados Sea Turtles …
Hawksbills are "spongivores" feeding on reef-associated sponges in the Caribbean
region. Sponges contributed 95.3% of the total dry mass of all food items in digestive tract
samples from 61 animals from seven Caribbean countries (Meylan, 1988). Specific feeding
areas have not been identified in Barbados, but foraging is assumed to be more or less coincident
with the distribution of coral reefs around the island (section 4.111). All size classes 23 cm
straightline carapace length and larger are seen in Barbados' nearshore waters. The turtle fishery
concentrates its efforts within the nesting season (May-October). At this time, entangling nets
(20-30 cm mesh) typically 2.5-3.5 m deep and 20-150 m long are set close to shore where
females are likely to be approaching and leaving beaches. Nets set within 100 yds of shore are
illegal, but enforcement is problematic (sections 4.21, 4.22).
The illegal killing of nesting hawksbills remains a problem, primarily because the penalty
(Bds. $100) is insufficient and enforcement of the present legislation is difficult. In 1987, 22%
of nestings reported by the general public resulted in the female being slaughtered. In addition,
poaching of eggs occurred in approximately 15.2% of all reported nestings. In 1991, Bellairs
Research Institute received information on nesting by a total of fewer than 50 different turtles,
and eight of these animals (>16%) were slaughtered. The habit of nesting on the highly
developed west and south coast beaches has meant that hawksbills are also adversely affected by
coastal development and beach erosion (see section 3.1). Jewelry and other items made from
hawksbill shell are widely available in tourist-oriented shops and there is some export of shell to
Japan (section 3.3).
2.5 Lepidochelys kempii, Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle
There are no records of Kemp's ridleys foraging or nesting in Barbados, nor would the
species be expected to occur. With the exception of a single recapture from Caribbean
Nicaragua of a "head-started" individual (Manzella et al., 1991), which may have displayed
altered behavior due to having been held captive during its first year (Woody, 1991), Kemp's
ridleys are confined to the Gulf of Mexico and temperate northern Atlantic. Unarguably the
most endangered sea turtle in the world, the total adult population is thought to number no more
than 900 females and an unknown number of males (Ross et al., 1989). Some 42,000 females
were observed nesting in a single day at the primary rookery at Rancho Nuevo in 1947, whereas
200-400 females nest annually today (Richard Byles, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, pers.
comm.). The species nests almost exclusively in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico.
2.6 Lepidochelys olivacea, Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
There are no records of olive ridleys foraging or nesting in Barbados. However,
occasional individuals may be expected in view of the occurrence of this species in Trinidad and
Suriname. In the Western Atlantic, significant levels of nesting appear to occur only in
Suriname, primarily at Eilanti Beach (Schulz, 1975). Olive ridleys nesting in Suriname have
declined considerably in recent years, dropping from about 3,000 nests per year in the late 1960's
to fewer than 500 nests per year today (Fretey, 1990). Diffuse nesting occurs in northwestern
Guyana and in French Guiana (Reichart, 1989).
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