Managing the traditional turtle fishery of the Turks and Caicos Islands

From Marine Conservation Society

The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) is a UK Overseas Territory (UKOT) lying in the northern Caribbean, where hunting sea turtles has been a tradition for centuries. Concerned about declining turtle nesting populations, the TCI Government invited MCS to start the TCI Turtle Project in 2008.

With support from the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), we worked with the government and fishers to collect biological data on TCI’s turtles and the fishery. We combined this information with extensive consultation with fishing communities to develop detailed recommendations to improve the management of the traditional turtle fishery.

In 2014 our recommendations were accepted and new regulations came into force, including a maximum size limit to protect sub-adult and adult green and hawksbill turtles and an eight month closed season during the hawksbill breeding season.

Worryingly, the illegal landings of two large satellite-tracked green turtles in the last two years suggest some fishers are breaking the law. It’s now time to revisit the TCI and its fishermen to see how the regulations are working and whether they’re having the desired impact.

Through PTES support, this work is being carried out by our UKOT Conservation Officer Amdeep Sanghera. Amdeep coordinated the TCI Turtle Project for MCS when it started 10 years ago, and recently visited the TCI to re-engage with his network of fisher friends to assess their awareness of the rules and compliance.

“There seems to have been a change in attitude and practice when it comes to turtle fishing in TCI. Many of the fishermen who I routinely saw landing large breeding turtles said they don’t catch them any longer. And repeatedly fishermen echoed the conservation messages of needing to protect large breeding turtles. Even though we think some fishers are not observing the law, the sense that many are is encouraging.”

Also promising is the local perception that more turtles are nesting across the islands’ beaches. To fully understand the current state of TCI’s turtles and the fishery, including any illegal fishing, Amdeep will work with local researchers to monitor the fishery at the docksides, as well as turtle nesting on selected beaches.

He’ll also survey fishers and government enforcement officers to record local perceptions of the fishery regulations. With all this information, we’ll develop recommendations for the government specifying what action must be taken to ensure the fishery is properly managed in order to secure a brighter future for the region’s endangered turtle populations.

For more on this story go to; https://www.mcsuk.org/blog/post/turtles-caribbean