Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for Barbados - WIDECAST

CEP Technical Report No. 12
and take it to BRI. Dead animals are identified to species, measured, and examined for possible
cause of death. Stomach contents and tissue samples are preserved. Injured animals (hawksbills
and green turtles) are usually those that have partially drowned in nets, but human-induced
injuries have also included embedded fish hooks, spear and bullet wounds, and injuries caused
by dynamite blasts and boat propellers. Several leatherbacks have stranded alive with missing
limbs caused by predators, presumably sharks. BRI staff and two veterinary surgeons treat sick
and injured animals. BRI has several seawater tanks suitable for rehabilitation.
Sea turtle data-base: Data derived from the monitoring of sea turtle nesting activity
(e.g., numbers and locations of nests, numbers of poached nests, numbers of disoriented
hatchlings, data from nests excavated after hatchling emergence) and data derived from sea turtle
strandings are compiled and maintained at BRI. Fisheries Division (and other interested
agencies) are provided with data upon request.
Increasing environmental awareness: The frequent visits by BRI staff to beaches result in
lengthy discussions and exchange of information with the person who made the report and other
onlookers. Staff carry copies of the Barbados Environmental Association's leaflet with them and
distribute this information to interested persons. Many people who report a nest also look out for
the nest's safety (from poachers, storms, etc.) during the incubation period, and inform BRI of
any potential problems. BRI and Fisheries personnel give talks on sea turtle biology and
conservation to schools and Government departments, and provide information on sea turtles to
the media. BRI library offers resource material for use by school teachers and students. Other
public service activities, such as requesting beachfront properties to turn off or to redirect lights
away from nesting beaches, are ongoing.
PROPOSED ACTIVITIES
In this section we have outlined six projects that specifically address issues identified in
the Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan (STRAP) for Barbados as priorities for implementation. A
draft budget for these activities is presented in a later section.
1. Produce a video (1/2 hr duration) for reproduction on television to increase public
awareness of contemporary stresses and threats faced by sea turtles around Barbados
and the need for sea turtle conservation (see STRAP sections III, 4.124, 4.4).
Responsible agency/group: Barbados Environmental Association and Bellairs
Research Institute.
2. Obtain a cellular phone, provide mileage allowance, and employ a research
assistant to enhance response capability of personnel to reach beaches where turtles
nest at night. This will reduce depredation of females, increase the number of
females tagged, and enhance ongoing activities (see STRAP sections 4.233,
4.293, 4.33 inter alia). Responsible agency/group: Bellairs Research Institute.
3. Initiate daily surveys of at least two additional important nesting beaches throughout
the annual breeding season to increase our knowledge of the distribution and
abundance of sea turtle nesting and nest fate, including quantifying depredation,
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