Save the Turtles

[Blacktip shark]

Urge the Bahamas Government to Ban the Catching and Killing of Endangered Sea Turtles!

Elizabeth Burrows the manager of the Humane Society Grand Bahama and others have put together a compelling petition urging the Bahamian Government to ban the catching, possession and slaughter of Bahamian Sea Turtles.

Please look this over and sign if you agree:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ur...tching -and-killing-of-endangered-sea-turtles

or send a letter to PM (sample letter is below):

Dear Bahamas Prime Minister , Minister of Tourism and Minister of Fisheries;
I am writing to ask you to ban the catching, possession, and slaughter of endangered sea turtles in the Bahamas. I was horrified to learn that the Bahamas Fisheries laws allow the catching and killing of certain of these turtles despite the Bahamas being a party to CITES, which lists all marine turtles as endangered or threatened. I was further horrified to learn of the usual method employed by Bahamians of keeping these turtles captive while awaiting a buyer. They are flipped upside down, rendering them helpless and unable to move, and often left in the sun for days in this manner, which results in dehydration and tremendous suffering. They are then killed by either decapitation or slitting their throat. This practice is animal cruelty as defined in the Penal Code of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Sections 223, 225, 226 and 230.

Please click here to see the rescue of 3 Loggerhead turtles on Sept. 3rd, 2007:
Care2 - Photos - Sea turtle rescue 03-sep-07

A second photoalbum has been added to the first one, containing pictures of the second and third rescues:

Care2 - Photos - More turtle rescues!

Five of the seven species of sea turtles are found in Bahamian waters; these are the Loggerhead, Green, Hawksbill, Leatherback and Kemp's Ridley turtles. While current Fisheries laws prohibit the taking of Hawksbill turtles, they allow the taking of Loggerhead and Green turtles, and do not address the Leatherback or Kemp's Ridley turtles at all. The only prohibitions imposed upon fishermen are a closed season from April 1 to July 31, and a minimum back size length of 24" for Green turtles and 30" for Loggerhead turtles. Many of these turtles were born in countries like Mexico and the United States, where effective laws and enforcement are in place to optimize their survival. It is a travesty for them to be protected in their birthplace yet when they are grown and migrate to the Bahamas they are subject to being killed.

Most of the world's developed countries recognize the threat of extinction to these magnificent, benign, gentle creatures and their importance to the seas' ecosystems, and have implemented laws aimed at their protection. There are already myriad threats to sea turtles' survival including irresponsible development, garbage and contaminated water. Protection of sea turtles is becoming a large consideration in the fast growing eco-tourism sector, and if the Bahamas continues to allow this barbaric, senseless practice, it will likely negatively affect your tourism economy.
It is reprehensible that the Bahamas is a party to CITES, yet ignores the CITES classification of sea turtles, and allows the harvesting of any of these animals.

Please stop contributing to the decline of these species by immediately banning the catching and killing of ALL sea turtles!

See also articles published in the Bahamian newspaper:
The Nassau Guardian - www.thenassauguardian.com

 

[jbilicska]

Thanks I signed the petition.


Joe B

 

[ClamBake]

Thank you for calling attention to this tragic situation. I signed the petition and added the personal message below:

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
I serve on the Board of Trustees of the National Marine Life Center ("NMLC") in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. The mission of NMLC is to rescue, rehabilitate and release stranded marine mammals and sea turtles from the shores of Cape Cod. I urge you to visit the NMLC website (National Marine Life Center - Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts) to learn about the thousands of dollars that are donated by patrons and the hundreds of hours that are spent by professional staff in caring for each stranded Kemp's Ridley turtle and returning them to the wild. That these efforts could go to waste due to the Bahamian government's permissive capture and slaughter of these creeatures - despite the Bahamas being a party to CITES - is both disheartening and immoral. I urge you to enforcably ban the catching and killing of all endangered sea turtles in all Bahamian territory.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Brennan, Jr.
Trustee, National Marine Life Center
Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

 

[fanihi]

I must first state that I know nothing about the Bahamas turtle fishing regulations, or the Bahamas for that matter. I live in the Indo-Pacific region where we have similar situations.

You mention several times that the Bahamas is a signatory of CITES. While true, CITES is a management measure for the INTERNTIONAL TRADE (emphasis added) of wildlife species whose population(s) could be detrimentally (or irreversibly) damaged through unregulated (or unmonitored) international trade. CITES has designated most of the marine turtles in Appendix I - this category has the most stringent and restrictive trade regulations.

By throwing CITES on your laundry list of reasons why the Bahamas Government should stop the complete cultural practice of eating turtle, you are inferring that there is an existing international market for turtle meat. With an Appendix I classification, I find it hard to believe one could run a viable export business under these circumstances. If the previous statement is true, then the turtle fishery is for local consumption. CITES is not the issue nor is it relevant to addressing the problem.

Rather than take the extreme position of a complete ban of the taking of marine turtles, why not first examine what the take is by the island. Since it is locally regulated, the Bahamas Government may have some statistics. Once you understand what level the landings are, then look at the catch composition (by species) and compare it to population levels and trends. We should keep in mind the cultural significance of eating marine turtles by local islanders and attempt to develop manage measures that will fit with the traditional and sustainable take of sea life. Of course, I am not suggesting an open season on marine turtles, but leaving the door open for some amount of traditional take. Perhaps you could make better progress in “saving the sea turtle” working with the Government in updating their marine turtle regulations, public education, assist with enforcement, or data collection. If you “win” your demand for a complete ban, you will do nothing but drive the turtle fishery underground and cause hard feelings with the island nations.

Unfortunately, I found the petition letters arrogant, insulting, and condescending to the Bahamas Government. As you may have guessed, I would never sign one of these sensationalized and demeaning petitions. Your passion is getting in the way of any type of objective view of attempting to help recover the sea turtle populations. Additionally, do you really believe all those off-island e-mail comments are going to be taken seriously by island Government cultures - NOT