As nesting season reaches its peak for the Hawksbill Turtle the Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) is attempting to get residents actively involved in the preservation of the fragile species.
EAG representative Lia Nicholson, speaking on OBSERVER AM, has raised concern about artificial lights at Jabberwock Beach.
“Baby turtles, when they hatch, go towards the light because the moon reflects on the ocean and that’s how they know which direction to go,” she said. “What we are finding is that with coastal developments, sea turtles will head the other way into the land, towards the street lights.”
Areas of concern include Fig Tree Drive and any coastal hotel.
“You can wake up one morning and find 80 to 150 baby turtles dead around the light posts,” she noted.
Nicholson explained that sea turtles return to the beaches on which they hatched to lay their own eggs. Therefore, “when you have a population wiped out from a specific locale, it’s very difficult to get that revived,” she said.
The EAG is asking residents of beach front property to turn off their lights during the sea turtle nesting season, which runs from February to June for Leatherbacks and from June to September for the Hawksbills.
Other than artificial light, sea turtles are also threatened by poachers. The hawksbill turtle is hunted for its notoriously beautiful shell, while all are hunted for their meat. The green turtle is known to have the best tasting meat.
Each clutch (nest of eggs) can contain between 80 and 150 eggs and turtles lay three to five times per season, thus each season can contain between 450 and 750 eggs. Despite the large amount of eggs laid, the survival rate is very low, about 1 in 3000. The turtles that do survive can take 10 to 20 years to mature to the age when they themselves can reproduce.
Persons interested in signing up to volunteer to patrol beaches for laying turtles can do so by calling the EAG Office at 462-6236. The cost for volunteering for non-EAG members is $50 for adults and $45 for children. EAG members pay $30 for adults and $25 for children. Anyone can become a member of the EAG. Persons who spot nesting turtles or hatching eggs can report sightings to the hotline at 720-6955.
There are six species of sea turtles in the Caribbean and four are found in Antigua. The Hawskbill, Green, and Leatherback turtles use Antigua for nesting and foraging, while the Loggerhead comes here for foraging only.
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EAG representative Lia Nicholson, speaking on OBSERVER AM, has raised concern about artificial lights at Jabberwock Beach.
“Baby turtles, when they hatch, go towards the light because the moon reflects on the ocean and that’s how they know which direction to go,” she said. “What we are finding is that with coastal developments, sea turtles will head the other way into the land, towards the street lights.”
Areas of concern include Fig Tree Drive and any coastal hotel.
“You can wake up one morning and find 80 to 150 baby turtles dead around the light posts,” she noted.
Nicholson explained that sea turtles return to the beaches on which they hatched to lay their own eggs. Therefore, “when you have a population wiped out from a specific locale, it’s very difficult to get that revived,” she said.
The EAG is asking residents of beach front property to turn off their lights during the sea turtle nesting season, which runs from February to June for Leatherbacks and from June to September for the Hawksbills.
Other than artificial light, sea turtles are also threatened by poachers. The hawksbill turtle is hunted for its notoriously beautiful shell, while all are hunted for their meat. The green turtle is known to have the best tasting meat.
Each clutch (nest of eggs) can contain between 80 and 150 eggs and turtles lay three to five times per season, thus each season can contain between 450 and 750 eggs. Despite the large amount of eggs laid, the survival rate is very low, about 1 in 3000. The turtles that do survive can take 10 to 20 years to mature to the age when they themselves can reproduce.
Persons interested in signing up to volunteer to patrol beaches for laying turtles can do so by calling the EAG Office at 462-6236. The cost for volunteering for non-EAG members is $50 for adults and $45 for children. EAG members pay $30 for adults and $25 for children. Anyone can become a member of the EAG. Persons who spot nesting turtles or hatching eggs can report sightings to the hotline at 720-6955.
There are six species of sea turtles in the Caribbean and four are found in Antigua. The Hawskbill, Green, and Leatherback turtles use Antigua for nesting and foraging, while the Loggerhead comes here for foraging only.
View Larger Map
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