The second half of the last two decades saw the biggest increase in turtle nesting with the Leatherback and Greens seeing their highest recovery although the Hawksbill and Olive Ridley showed the lowest recovery trends.
This is according to a study of the turtle trends for the main nesting turtles to Guyana, provided by the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society (GMTCS), which is working to increase turtle nesting populations.
Marine Turtle Country Coordinator Romeo DeFreitas, in a recent statement, said that the turtle population recovery has been in a slow curve for some of the species, especially the Greens, which have seen moderate increases. In 2008, the numbers were in the hundreds but did not exceed 500 for that season, while over the last 21 years other peaks were seen in 2007 and 2006.
According to the survey, the Leatherback shows an increase of an average 20 turtles per night during the peak nesting season May-July. The Leatherbacks in the year 2000 began to peak and last year the numbers were over 2,000 for that season.
Meanwhile the Olive Ridley had dramatically decreased to zero, with no recorded nesting for the 2009 season. It was noted that among the reasons for the low nesting is the diet-related factor. For example, the Leatherback feeds mainly on jelly fish and follows the flows as they travel with the ocean currents and the Green turtle feeds on sea grass along the continental shelf. On the other hand, the Hawksbill and the Olive Ridley feed on shrimp, sea bobs and crustaceans, and research indicates that their feeding grounds are currently being damaged by trawlers fishing for shrimp and sea bobs.
Over the years, there had been many challenges for the turtles that nest on Guyana’s shores, especially the incidental catch from long gill net fishing boats that fish along the nearby nesting sites.
Harvesting
Sea turtles are still being harvested and their eggs taken by the local fishermen on some of the beaches that are not monitored, due to the lack of financial and human resources.
DeFreitas explained that the GMTCS’s plans for the 2010 nesting season, which begins early February, would include the monitoring of the major nesting beaches, which will be determined by an early aerial survey this month.
This survey will indicate the early nesting activities and beach development.
Further, he said that the Society will continue its ongoing educational programmes, including bringing local students from various schools starting by mid-April-mid-May to partake in firsthand conservation efforts on the beaches; tagging of the adult turtles; removing eggs to hatcheries; releasing of hatchlings to the sea, and the daytime classroom sessions. All of this will be done along with more education awareness programmes in the fishing communities.
In addition, they will also conduct a by-catch survey on the fishing vessels on the seas and also at fishing ports during this season to determine the incidental catches. And in an effort to reduce the incidental catches of the turtles, the GMTCS will be seeking the support of the fishing industry.
Last season, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) funded an exchange programme between the Suriname Marine Turtle Project (STINASU), where two wardens from both organisations visited the different project sites, shared views and participated in monitoring exercises for one week.
Making the work of GMTCS and the turtle project possible over the years are its sponsors, including the Chelonian Research Institute (CRI), formerly the Florida Audubon Society, which is dedicated to the monitoring programme. It became a sponsor from the start of GMTCS in 2000. Shell Antilles Guiana also contributes 30 to 40 barrels of gasoline to the project annually and this initiative is being continued by Simpson Oil Limited (SOL), which altogether supported the turtle project for over fifteen years.
The WWF has been with the project for over ten years, funding the monitoring programme and the education and capacity support programmes. With the partnership of these and other agencies, both local and national, the turtle project has had a successful programme throughout the two decades.
Others giving support were governmental ministries and agencies, NGOs, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard, PYARG, US Peace Corps, as well as volunteers and members of the local communities and the fishermen.