Over the last twenty months, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources (DFMR), in partnership with the Anguilla National Trust (ANT) and the University of Roehampton (UR) (based in the UK) – and with funding from the European Commission’s BEST 2.0 funding mechanism – have been studying sea turtle behaviour. Three different species of endangered sea turtles – hawksbill (Critically Endangered), green (Endangered), and leatherback (Vulnerable) forage within Anguilla’s waters and nest on its beaches.
These turtles once numbered in the hundreds to thousands but, due to overfishing and habitat loss – both locally and regionally – their numbers have plummeted. Since 1995, there has been a moratorium on the harvesting of these reptiles, and their eggs, in an attempt to save the species populations from further decline. As turtles live a long life, and generally do not begin to reproduce until their twenties, collecting enough information to inform conservation action takes time: turtle hatchlings that emerged from their nests at the beginning of the 1995 moratorium would only now be old enough to reproduce.
Data concerning sea turtle foraging behaviour, collected through a DFMR-led capture-tag-release programme instituted over fifteen years ago, as well as sea turtle nesting numbers, collected by the ANT for almost ten years, are now being analysed in an effort to show population trends. In addition to these two on-going programmes, with funds provided by BEST 2.0, DFMR, ANT, and UR have also been using satellite tags to track foraging and nesting turtles to determine where they go – both as juveniles (Anguilla’s foraging sea turtles) and as adults (Anguilla’s nesting turtles). After approximately a year of data collected from eight foraging turtles and 4 nesting turtles, preliminary results indicate that Anguilla’s foraging turtles remain in Anguilla’s waters while nesting turtles have travelled great distances during their nesting period. Sea turtles can nest multiple times throughout a nesting period. It is believed that they return to where they hatched to nest and, while this is often the case, it is not always.
Over the next six months, DFMR, ANT and UR will attempt to attach an additional 12 satellite to Anguilla’s turtles as well as to continue to monitor their foraging and nesting numbers in an effort to increase our sample size, statistical accuracy, and understanding of these long-lived creatures. These agencies encourage individuals to report any sightings of nesting sea turtles as well as emergence of hatchlings from their nests to the ANT by calling 497 5297 or 476 2170. For individuals interested in learning more about or in volunteering on this project, please contact the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources by e-mail at fisheries@gov.ai, by visiting their office, located on the second floor of the Department of Agriculture building, or by contacting the Anguilla National Trust.
– Press Release
8th January 2018
