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Call To Action - Open Letter June 4, 2009 Dear Editor: Please print the following as a letter to the Editor. ----- Re: Call to Action to Ban the Slaughter of Sea Turtles in The Bahamas On October 1, 2008 the Bahamas Government issued a press release promising a total ban on the harvesting of sea turtles in The Bahamas by April 1, 2009. This legislation has not been passed as promised. We are extremely concerned, from both a touristic and an environmental standpoint, about the killing of these beautiful sea creatures in The Bahamas. The Bahamas Government is aware that the World Conservation Union (IUCN) considers ALL marine turtles globally to be either threatened or endangered. Further, The Bahamas is a signatory to the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international Convention that seeks to protect sea turtles and other endangered species around the world. We are now especially concerned that The Bahamas Government's delay in passing the legislation, which they promised would be in effect by April 1, 2009, is undermining the efforts of other nations like the US, Cuba, Costa Rica, Mexico and other Caribbean countries that have already enacted legislation to protect these endangered animals. Following are the top ten reasons why The Bahamas should stop the killing of sea turtles in The Bahamas as published by BREEF (www.breef.org) on their web site: 1. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) considers all marine turtles to be threatened or endangered globally. 2. Sea turtles, especially green turtles feed on seagrass helping to maintain healthy, functioning seagrass beds; an important habitat for conch. 3. Sea Turtles are one of the Earth's last ancient reptiles; it is therefore important to maintain this important aspect of biological history. 4. Sea turtles are protected by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Many other countries have already banned the harvesting of turtles. 5. The presence of marine turtles in our waters will attract tourists to The Bahamas, supporting ecotourism ventures and the dive industry. 6. Marine Turtles are a transboundary species - they migrate long distances as they carry out their life cycle. As such, the harvest or the protection of turtles in The Bahamas will impact populations not only in The Bahamas but in other regions as well. 7. Marine Turtles mature very slowly. Many species do not become reproductive for 30 – 40 years. This makes it difficult for populations to recover from fishing pressure and other threats. 8. Because they grow slowly and have many predators when they are small, very few hatchlings survive to reach adulthood; this makes adult and large juvenile turtles especially valuable to the population. 9. Marine Turtles lay their eggs on beaches, many of which are impacted by coastal development. Coastal development may limit the ability of turtles to find suitable nesting sites, thus, affecting their ability to reproduce successfully. 10. Marine turtles are impacted by marine debris, each year many turtles die after ingesting discarded plastic bags that they mistake for food. For these and many other reasons, we again urge the public to write the Government, if they have not already done so, asking them to live up to their promises and ban the slaughter of sea turtles in The Bahamas. Please send your letters by e-mail, fax or mail to: By e-mail: bahamasturtles@gmail.com By fax: 362-5091 By Mail: Bahamas Sea Turtle Conservation Group, P.O. Box N-1496, Nassau, Bahamas For more information visit our website at http://www.saveourseaturtles.org and see photos of these beautiful animals in the wild. You can also view the horrific pictures of the turtle slaughter that is taking place in The Bahamas. We urge all Bahamians to take action to ensure that the Bahamas Government lives up to its' promises to enact legislation that will enforce a total ban on the slaughter of sea turtles in The Bahamas. Sincerely, Kim Aranha Debbie Krukowski Jane Mather Co-Chairpersons Bahamas Sea Turtle Conservation Group |
