Journal article details welfare and conservation problems associated with sea turtle farming

The following is a press release on a new article published this week in the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, co-authored by Dr. Neil D’Cruze, Head of Wildlife Research and Policy at World Animal Protection; Marydele Donnelly, Director of International Policy at the Sea Turtle Conservancy; and Rachel Alcock. The article, titled “The Cayman Turtle Farm: Why We Can’t Have Our Green Turtle and Eat it Too” details the extensive welfare and conservation problems associated with sea turtle farming and reiterates World Animal Protection’s calls for the Cayman Turtle Farm to transition into a sea turtle rehabilitation, research, and education center.

The article can be downloaded here: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10806-014-9519-6

PRESS RELEASE:

Leading sea turtle conservationist joins World Animal Protection in calling for change at the Cayman Turtle Farm

New journal article details extensive welfare and conservation problems associated with sea turtle farming

October 16, 2014 – A new scientific paper has been published this week by the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics entitled “The Cayman Turtle Farm: Why We Can’t Have Our Green Turtle and Eat it Too.”

World Animal Protection’s Stop Sea Turtle Farming campaign, launched in 2012, has highlighted the severe animal welfare concerns associated with the Cayman Turtle Farm, the last facility in the world which raises endangered sea turtles for human consumption.

However, this new paper adds conservation concerns to the growing list of rationale for why the Cayman Turtle Farm cannot carry on with its current mode of operation. The authors put forward a convincing case that sea turtle farming comes at an astronomic economic cost and may actually harm green turtle populations by promoting the consumption of this endangered species.

The paper concludes by reiterating World Animal Protection’s calls for the Farm to transition into a sea turtle rehabilitation center that fully protects the animals in its care. The authors cite the example of Kelonia on Réunion Island, a facility which has successfully and profitably transitioned from a commercial sea turtle farm to a rehabilitation and education facility.

Dr Neil D’Cruze, Head of Wildlife Research and Policy at World Animal Protection, co-authored this paper together with Rachel Alcock and Marydele Donnelly. Donnelly is the current Director of International Policy for the Sea Turtle Conservancy and has worked as a conservation advocate for more than 30 years. She previously served as the Program Officer of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group and as the Director of the Sea Turtle Conservation Program for the Ocean Conservancy.

The involvement of Donnelly, a leading sea turtle conservationist, adds further weight to World Animal Protection CEO Mike Baker’s renewed calls for the Cayman Turtle Farm to change.

Donnelly says, “I am proud to have worked on such an important research paper which highlights the threats that the Cayman Turtle Farm poses to both the Cayman economy and the conservation of wild green sea turtle populations.

“Our arguments are clear: the millions of dollars plowed into the Cayman Turtle Farm each year could be much better spent on protecting green sea turtles in the wild, using tried and tested methods which have been shown to yield real results.”

This new research paper also echoes the findings of a recent Cayman Islands Government-commissioned Ernst & Young report entitled “Project Future: Creating a sustainable future for the Cayman Islands,” a review of the Cayman Islands Government’s Public Services. Ernst & Young’s report recommended that significant operational change was needed at the Cayman Turtle Farm due to its ongoing financial losses.

Dr Neil D’Cruze says, “World Animal Protection was delighted to read the findings of the recent Ernst & Young report, which echo the findings contained within our new scientific paper for the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics.

The Cayman Islands Government has still not formally responded on this issue, despite requests from World Animal Protection. We once again urge the Cayman Islands Government to take an objective look at this growing body of evidence and to transition away from sea turtle farming as a conservation tool.”

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To read and download “The Cayman Turtle Farm: Why We Can’t Have Our Green Turtle and Eat it Too”, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, visit http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10806-014-9519-6#close

We were formerly known as WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals).

For more on World Animal Protection’s campaign on behalf of sea turtles in the Cayman Islands, visit www.stopseaturtlefarm.org

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