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The seven sea turtle species present today have existed
for over 100 million years, with the leatherback being the most ancient at
approximately 150 million years old. Historically, sea turtles were
abundant in the world’s oceans, and locally in the Caribbean, up until the
last century. Seventeenth and eighteenth century mariners documented that
turtles were so plentiful in the West Indies that net-fishing was
impossible. In some cases, the turtle population was so dense that mariners
were unable to move their ships through the masses. At the time, it was
thought that global populations were in the millions!
In the early 1900’s, hawksbill shell harvesting (for
items such as jewelry, bowls, combs, etc.) in the West Indies became
prevalent, as did leatherback slaughtering for their oil. Egg harvesting
from leatherbacks and greens also became popular locally in the 1920’s. As
a result of various forms of harvesting, sea turtle numbers started to
plummet, and the situation worsened in the 1950’s as coastal development
sky-rocketed. These developments not only took away prime nesting beaches,
but increased the light pollution on adjacent beaches. With the combined
pressures from harvesting and development, sea turtle numbers continued to
decline drastically.
In 1972, the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) banned the |
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harvesting of sea turtles on the beach and banned
harvesting in the ocean from May through September. Harvesting in the water
was still allowed from October through April. This allowable harvest soon
came to an end, however, with the induction of the federal Endangered
Species Act (ESA) in 1973. The ESA stated that no one could “take” an
endangered or threatened species. At that time, both the hawksbill and
leatherback sea turtles were on the endangered list. In 1978, the green
turtle was listed as threatened, and it too gained much needed protection
under the ESA. As of today, all three local sea turtle species are still
under this protection.
Currently, worldwide estimates are around 88,000
nesting green turtles, 22,000 nesting hawksbill turtles, and 36,000 nesting
leatherback turtles. These estimates represent only females, as there is no
current, accurate estimate of male turtles. Current population numbers
pale in comparison to population estimates of less than a hundred years ago.
For this reason, continued protection and management strategies are vital to
the conservation and recovery of these species. The USVI has several
programs designed to sustain and recover our sea turtle populations in order
to maintain our important ocean ecosystems. With the support of our
community, we can ensure that the sea turtles of the West Indies survive
another 100 million years. |
