Fisheries Department Teams Up with Community to Protect Turtles

Contact: John Emmanuel

Tuesday, February 13, 2001 - The Department of Fisheries is teaming up with the Nature Heritage Tourism Project in developing an innovative programme that will significantly reduce the illegal practice of poaching of Leatherback turtles on the Grande Anse beach, located on the island’s north-eastern coast.

Department personnel say an increase in the illegal activity is posing a significant threat to the leatherbacks, the largest marine turtles in the world. Female leatherback turtles return to the Grande Anse beach annually for the nesting period from March to August.

The programme of protection will involve turtles watches conducted by persons from the Desbarras community, located on the ridge on the Grand Anse Bay.

Fisheries Biologist Dr. Marie Louis-Felix says under the new programme, Desbarras residents will serve not only as tour guides for the watches, which will run throughout the week, but as protectors for the nesting females. "Another important benefit of having the project at Grande Anse is that we are aware of concerns over the moratorium that presently exists on the fishing of marine turtles and that persons have complained that the St. Lucian population has lost, because they can no longer enjoy economic benefits from this resource," said Dr. Louis Felix.

She added: "One of the things we intend to show is that there can be benefits to the non-consumptive use of turtles and we are hoping that the Desbarras/Grande Anse Turtle Watch Project would become a model that can be duplicated in parts of the islands where residents of coastal communities can enjoy economic benefits from the sustainable use of marine turtles."

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