A T O L L R E S E A R C H B U L L E T I N N O * 278 M A R I N E T U R T L E S O F T H E LEEWARD I S L A N D S , L E S S E R A N T I L L E S BY ISSUED BY T H E S M I T H S O N I A N I N S T I T U T I O N WASHINGTON, D o C . , U . S . A . DECEMBER 1983 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 METHODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RESULTS 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anguilla 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St . Martin 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St . Barthglemy 8 Saba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St . Eustatius 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St . Kitts 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nevis 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barbuda 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Antiqua 17 Montserrat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Guadeloupe 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LITERATURE CITED 23 - la0 N CAR f l knpui l la d o s t . Mart in Leeward Islands SEA \St. Eustatius Q Barbuda i t ts Nevi s METERS I I 1 Antigua 'Redonda 0 Montserrat ATLANT OCEAN I I Figure 1. Leeward Islands MARINE TURTLES OF THE LEEWARD I S L A N D S , LESSER A N T I L L E S BY INTRODUCTION Although m a r i n e t u r t l e s are c o n s p i c u o u s members o f t h e C a r i b b e a n f a u n a , s i g n i f i c a n t g a p s remain i n o u r knowledge o f t h e i r d i s t r i b u t i o n and s t a t u s w i t h i n t h e r e g i o n . Nowhere is k n k l e d g e more f r a g m e n t a r y t h a n f o r t h e L e s s e r A n t i l l e s which, f o l l o w i n g t h e d e f i n i t i o n o f Bond (1978) , i n c l u d e t h o s e i s l a n d s fro:> Saba and A n g u i l l a s o u t h and east to Barbados and Grenada. Compris ing 1 7 major i s l a n d s and 1 6 b a n k s , t h e L e s s e r A n t i l l e s l i e i n an arc some 630 km l o n g , and p r o v i d e n e s t i n g and f o r a g i n g h a b i t a t s f o r f o u r s p e c i e s o f mar ine t u r t l e s : t h e g r e e n t u r t l e ( C h e l o n i a mydas) , h a w k s b i l l (E re tmoche lys i m b r i c a t a ) , l e a t h e r b a c k (Dermochelys cor iacea) and l o g g e r h e a d ( C a r e t t a c a r e t t a ) . Although t h e o l i v e r i d l e y (Lep idoche lys o l i v a c e a ) . o c c u r s p e r i p h e r a l l y i n t h e wide r Car ibbean r e g i o n , it is c o n s i d e r e d a waif i n t h e L e s s e r A n t i l l e s . Kemp's r i d l e y ( L e p i d o c h e l y s kempi) has n o t been r e c o r d e d from t h i s r e g i o n . The p r e s e n t p a p a is conce rned w i t h t h e mar ine t u r t l e f a u n a o f t h e . n o r t h e r n g r o u p o f i s l a n d s o f t h e L e s s e r A n t i l l e s , t h e Leewards ( F i g . 1) . Although t h e terms Leeward I s l a n d s and Windward I s l a n d s have h i s t o r i c a l l y been a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e B r i t i s h I s l a n d s , r a t h e r t h a n w i t h t h e F rench o r Dutch, t h e o f f i c i a l boundary a t l a t i t u d e 1 5 ~ 4 0 I N s e r v e s as a c o n v e n i e n t d i v i d i n g l i n e f o r t h e i s l a n d c h a i n , and t h i s is t h e c r i t e r i o n t h a t h a s been adop ted f o r t h i s p a p e r . R e s u l t s o f a s u r v e y o f t h e t u r t l e f a u n a o f t h e Windward I s l a n d s have been r e p o r t e d p r e v i o u s l y (Car ibbean C o n s e r v a t i o n C o r p o r a t i o n , 1980; C a r r -- et a l . , 1 9 8 2 ) . Bacon (1981) reviewed t h e l i t e r a t u r e p e r t a i n i n g to t h e s t a t u s and d i s t r i b u t i o n o f mar ine t u r t l e s i n t h e Western A t l a n t i c . For f i v e o f t h e e l e v e n Leeward I s l a n d s , he r e p o r t e d a comple te l a c k o f i n f o r m a t i o n . For t h e r ema in ing s i x , t h e l i t e r a t u r e he c i t e d is l a r g e l y l i m i t e d to i s o l a t e d n e s t i n g r e c o r d s , many o f which lack s p e c i f i c l o c a l i t y d a t a . Guadeloupe is t h e o n l y i s l a n d f o r which d e t a i l e d i n f o r m a t i o n on t h e t u r t l e f a u n a is a v a i l a b l e (Car ibbean C o n s e r v a t i o n C o r p o r a t i o n 1980; C a r r e t a l . , 1 9 8 2 ) . G e n e r a l comments a b o u t s p e c i e s d i s t r i b u t i o n and -- abundance i n t h e Leewards were g i v e n by C a r r -- e t a l . (1982) . ECNAMP (1980) mapped t u r t l e n e s t i n g l o c a l i t i e s i n t h e Leewards i n a series o f r e s o u r c e atlases; d a t a from t h e p r e s e n t s t u d y were f n c o r p o r a t e d i n t h a t f o r a l l t h e i s l a n d s e x c e p t M o n t s e r r a t and S t . Bar the lemy. An ove rv iew o f m a r i n e t u r t l e p o p u l a t i o n s i n t h e Car ibbean r e g i o n was p r e s e n t e d by Rainey and P r i t c h a r d (1972) . The i r e v a l u a t i o n o f c o n s e r v a t i o n problems r e m a i n s p e r t i n e n t to t h e L e s s e r A n t i l l e s . P u b l i c a t i o n s c o n c e r n i n g r e c e n t e x p l o i t a t i o n o f mar ine t u r t l e s i n t h e r e g i o n i n c l u d e Kermarrec 1/ Anne Barkau Meylan, Department o f Zoology, U n i v e r s i t y o f F l o r i d a , - G a i n e s v i l l e , EL USA 32611 (19761, Cato -- e t a l . (19781, Carr and Meylan (1980) and Meylan and Mack (1983). The forthcoming proceed ings o f t h e Western A t l a n t i c T u r t l e Symposium, a Caribbean-wide meeting h e l d i n J u l y 1983, i n Costa Rica , w i l l add much t o knowledge of Caribbean t u r t l e s . The p r e s e n t paper is a p r e l im ina ry d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e marine t u r t l e fauna o f t h e Leeward I s l ands . I t covers a l a r g e a r e a t h a t has rece ived a lmost no p r ev ious a t t e n t i o n , and it d e a l s w i th an animal g roup t h a t p r e s e n t s unique sampling d i f f i c u l t i e s . Because o f l i m i t e d t ime and r e s o u r c e s , t h e aim o f t h e s t udy ha s been modest--merely t o beg in f i l l i n g t h e enormous gap i n knowledge o f t h e t u r t l e s o f t h i s r eg ion , and t o p rov ide background f o r improved conse rva t i on and management p r a c t i c e s . A l l marine t u r t l e s t h a t occur w i th in t h e Lesser A n t i l l e s , w i th t h e excep t ion o f t h e loggerhead, a r e cons idered endangered by t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Union f o r t h e Conservat ion of Nature and Na tu r a l Resources (Groombridge, 1982) . METHODS A s a r e a l l mobile marine s p e c i e s , s e a t u r t l e s a r e d i f f i c u l t t o survey. Seasona l and o n t o g e n e t i c s h i f t s i n h a b i t a t occupa t ion compound t h e d i f f i c u l t y . In a shor t - t e rm s tudy , t h e surveyor is a l s o h indered by u n f a m i l i a r i t y wi th t h e l o c a t i o n o f a p p r o p r i a t e h a b i t a t s , o r by t h e l a ck of means t o reach t h e s e h a b i t a t s . When one spends on ly a s h o r t time i n an a r e a , it is unusual t o s e e any l i v e marine t u r t l e s a t a l l , a s t hose who have under taken surveys o f t h i s type know. One survey techn ique t h a t has been demonstrated t o y i e l d u s e f u l in format ion is in t e rv i ewing (Carr e t a l . , 1982) . I n t e rv i ews , c a r e f u l l y s t r u c t u r e d and execu ted , a l low one t o t a k e advantage o f t h e l i f e l o n g expe r i ences o f o t h e r s . I t is o f no smal l advantage t h a t s e a t u r t l e s a r e o f commercial va lue . I n t e rv i ews a r e p a r t i c u l a r l y e f f e c t i v e when conducted wi th f ishermen whose l i v e l i h o o d s have depended on t h e i r a b i l i t y t o c a t c h t u r t l e s . Such people a r e keenly aware o f t he h a b i t a t p r e f e r e n c e s , s e a s o n a l i t y and movements o f t h e s e animals , and because o f t h i s , they can be va luab l e sou rce s o f in format ion . In t h e p r e s e n t s t udy i n t e rv i ews were t he pr imary method o f ga the r i ng da t a . The i n t e rv i ews were conducted i n fo rma l ly , b u t fol lowed a p rocedu ra l o u t l i n e and s t anda rd i zed q u e s t i o n n a i r e developed by Carr et a l . (1982) . Informants inc luded p r i m a r i l y f ishermen, bu t a l s o , - f i s h e r i e s personne l , d i v e r s , boa t c a p t a i n s , o t h e r r e s i d e n t s and some t o u r i s t s . An e f f o r t was made t o e v a l u a t e t h e expe r i ence and r e l i a b i l i t y of each in formant , and s e v e r a l i n t e rv i ews were u s u a l l y conducted a t each l o c a l i t y t o t r y t o o b t a i n co r robo ra t i on . D i r e c t obse rva t i ons were used t o co r robo ra t e and supplement t h e i n t e r v i e w d a t a . Beaches were surveyed f o r evidence of n e s t i n g (some s e v e r a l times), and whenever p o s s i b l e boa t su rveys were c a r r i e d o u t i n f o r ag ing h a b i t a t s . An exhaus t i ve sea rch f o r specimens and in format ion was made i n p u b l i c markets , f i s h e r i e s o f f i c e s , a i r p o r t s , h o t e l s , and shops o f many d e s c r i p t i o n s . F i e l d work was c a r r i e d o u t dur ing s i x s h o r t su rveys , between A p r i l 1980 and May 1983, excep t i n t h e ca se o f Guadeloupe, which was surveyed i n December 1978. Coverage o f i nd iv idua l i s l a n d s was roughly comparable; s l i g h t l y more time was spent ga ther ing information a t Anguil la and Montserrat. Nesting and foraging l o c a l i t i e s f o r t u r t l e s ind ica ted on the maps include only da t a gathered during the p re sen t s tudy. Information from o t h e r sources c i t e d i n the t e x t is not included, nor a r e sites of desu l to ry nes t ing . Data presented on the maps a r e by no means complete. For some a r e a s , no information was a v a i l a b l e . I would apprec i a t e any add i t i ons or c o r r e c t i o n s t h a t readers can o f f e r . RESULTS Anguilla (18'18 I N , 63O17 '~) Anguilla is the northernmost i s l and in t he Leewards chain (Fig. 1). S i tua t ed 8 km nor th o f S t . Martin, t he 90 k m 2 i s l and ex tends NE t o SW f o r 26 km. It includes s e v e r a l smal l , uninhabi ted cays: Dog I s l and , P r i ck ly Pear Cays, Sea l I s l and , Sandy Is land and Sombrero I s land (F ig . 2 ) . There a r e ex tens ive r e e f s o f f the nor th c o a s t o f t he i s l a n d , along a l i n e running westward from Is land Harbour t o P r i ck ly Pear Cays; f r i ng ing r e e f s a r e p re sen t along most o f t he south c o a s t (ECNAMP, 1980) . The numerous s h o r t , white sand beaches around t h e i s l and a r e p o t e n t i a l l y good nes t ing sites f o r t u r t l e s . The green t u r t l e and the hawksbi l l a r e t h e most common marine t u r t l e spec i e s i n Anguillan waters . Both a r e year-round r e s i d e n t s , and both a r e represented by juven i l e , subadult and a d u l t s i z e c l a s s e s . Green t u r t l e s a r e repor ted to reach g r e a t s i z e (227 k g ) , which is t y p i c a l of t he spec i e s i n . t h e Eastern Caribbean. Leatherbacks and loggerheads a l s o occur around Anguil la , b u t i n much smaller numbers. The r i d l e y is not known from t h i s l o c a l i t y . Vernacular names f o r each spec i e s a r e given i n Table 1. The hawksbi l l is the p r i n c i p a l spec i e s nes t ing on Anguilla. The beaches on Dog I s l and (Savannah Bay, Stoney Bay, P i g f i s h Bay and Great Bay) a r e s a i d t o be the most f r equen t ly used nes t ing s i t e s , a l though some nes t ing occurs on P r i ck ly Pear Cays and on t h e main i s l a n d , a s wel l . A n e s t found by a r e s i d e n t o f North H i l l V i l l age a t Katouche Bay, i n August 1979, contained 200 eggs, and thus was presumably the n e s t o f a hawksbi l l . Despite t he ex i s t ence o f much s u i t a b l e h a b i t a t the t o t a l number of hawksbi l ls nes t ing annual ly on Angu i l l a and i t s a s soc i a t ed cays appears t o be r e l a t i v e l y low. Green t u r t l e s r a r e l y n e s t on Anguilla. One r e l i a b l e informant r e c a l l e d seeing a 227 kg green t u r t l e n e s t a t P i g f i s h Bay, Dog I s l a n d , some t en yea r s ago. Local l o r e i s t h a t Anguillan green t u r t l e s do not nes t a t a l l on Anguil la , bu t i n s t ead migrate t o Aves I s l and , 257 km west of Guadeloupe, to n e s t . This may w e l l be t he case . Although some s o l i t a r y nes t ing does occur, t he green t u r t l e is p r imar i ly a group n e s t e r , and Aves is the only c o l o n i a l nes t ing s i te known fo r t h e s p e c i e s i n t h e Eastern Caribbean (Rainey and P r i t c h a r d , 1972) . The lea therback , although r a r e around Anguil la , is w e l l known by r e s i d e n t s because o f i t s d i s t i n c t i v e appearance. I t occurs only a s a nes t ing v i s i t a n t . On the mainland, one or two lea therbacks n e s t each year on the northwest c o a s t (Road Bay, Mead's Bay, Long Bay and Barnes Bay), and t h e r e a r e r e p o r t s o f even more spo rad ic nes t ing on the southeas t c o a s t a t Sandy H i l l , M i m i Bay and Captains Bay. It is l i k e l y t h a t these t u r t l e s a r e s t r a y s from o the r nes t ing colonies--perhaps those i n t h e B r i t i s h and U. S. Virgin I s lands . Several tagged l ea the rbacks have been captured on Anguil la , according t o r e s i d e n t s , bu t I could not d i scover t he o r i g i n o f t h e tags . Although nes t ing by lea therbacks on the main i s l and is uncommon, a number o f informants reported nes t ing on nearby Scrub Is land. Scrub I s l and is uninhabi ted and seldom v i s i t e d , and i t ' is poss ib l e t h a t a small colony of Dermochelys n e s t s t he re . The r e p o r t s deserve f u r t h e r i nves t iga t ion . There a r e no r e l i a b l e records of nes t ing by loggerheads on Anguilla. It is not even known whether mature i nd iv idua l s occur i n t h e a r ea . Anguil la is one o f t he few l o c a l i t i e s i n the Eastern Caribbean where hawksbi l ls can be seen, more or l e s s p red ic t ab ly , i n forag ing h a b i t a t s around the main i s l and . Throughout much of t h e reg ion , they have been e x t i r p a t e d from shallow c o a s t a l waters by d i v e r s and n e t fishermen, and p e r s i s t only i n more i n a c c e s s i b l e o f f sho re h a b i t a t s . Both hawksbi l ls and green t u r t l e s a r e f r equen t ly s igh ted by r e s i d e n t s from the c l i f f s a t North H i l l V i l l age and Lower South H i l l , and a t I saac 's C l i f f . Green t u r t l e s , p a r t i c u l a r l y j uven i l e s , can be seen feeding in bays around t h e main i s land . Many informants reported see ing them i n groups. On the main i s l a n d , Mead's Bay is considered by l o c a l d i v e r s t o be one of t he b e s t p l aces t o observe both green t u r t l e s and hawksbi l ls . There is good foraging h a b i t a t f o r hawksbi l l s on the ex t ens ive r ee f t h a t l i e s nor th o f t h e i s l and , and f o r both hawksbi l ls and green t u r t l e s around the o f f sho re cays. Both spec i e s a r e f r equen t ly s igh ted a t Dog I s l and , P r i ck ly Pear Cays ant! Sandy Is land. One d i v e r repor ted a group of 15 green t u r t l e s , ranging i n weight from approximately 18 t o 27 kg, on the eas t e rn s i d e o f Sandy Is land. A young green t u r t l e captured by a d ive r a t Sandy I s l and i n August 1980, bore a t ag t h a t had been p u t on by the F lo r ida Department of Natural Resources i n 1975, when t h e t u r t l e was r e l ea sed a t Cape Canaveral, F lo r ida (R. Witham, i n litt .) . Hawksbills a r e a l s o seen around Sombrero I s l and , some 48 km northwest of Anguilla. The i s l and is uninhabi ted, b u t a boat t r a v e l s t h e r e from Anguilla every 15 days to s e r v i c e the l igh thouse . Curiously, a l l informants who mentioned Sombrero commented on the l a r g e s i z e o f t h e hawksbi l l s t he re . Information about foraging by loggerheads i n Anguillan waters is fragmentary. Some r e p o r t s were received t h a t loggerheads feed around D q I s l and , Scrub Is land and Sandy I s l and , b u t i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f t h i s s p e c i e s by most Anguillans seems to be unreliable--probably because o f t h e t u r t l e ' s s c a r c i t y t he re . The spec i e s d e f i n i t e l y does occur around t h e i s l and , however. The author saw a subadul t on I 2 Apr i l 1980 t h a t had j u s t been caught i n a n e t a t S c i l l y Cay, near I s l and Harbour (PI. 1). On t h e r a t h e r c rude p u b l i c s c a l e a t I s l and Harbour, t h e t u r t l e weighed 54.5 kg. In gene ra l , f ishermen cons ider t h i s s p e c i e s to be r a r e . Marine t u r t l e s appear t o be more abundant around Angui l l a than a t most o f t h e o the r Leeward I s l ands . Th is abundance can a t ].east p a r t l y be a t t r i b u t e d t o t h e f a c t t h a t t h e i s l a n d h a s e x t e n s i v e n e s t i n g and fo r ag ing h a b i t a t s , many o f which a r e l o c a t e d on and around o f f s h o r e cays . Evidence o f t h e va lue o f t h e s e less a c c e s s i b l e h a b i t a t s is t h e abundance o f t u r t l e s a t Dog I s l a n d , s i t u a t e d some 13 km from t h e main i s l a n d . The slow r a t e o f development o f t h e tour i sm i n d u s t r y h a s a l s o been a p o s i t i v e f a c t o r i n t h e con t inued s u r v i v a l o f Angu i l l a ' s t u r t l e fauna. The u s u a l p r e s s u r e s exe r t ed by t h e souveni r t r a d e , and t h e market f o r t u r t l e meat t o supply h o t e l r e s t a u r a n t s , have been minimal. The s u r v i v a l ou t l ook o f marine t u r t l e s on Angui l l a is by no means s ecu re , however. Popula t ions a r e a l r e a d y dep l e t ed , and e x p l o i t a t i o n p r e s s u r e s a r e r a p i d l y e s c a l a t i n g a s tour i sm i n t h e r eg ion i n c r e a s e s . A f a c t o r t h a t is a l r e a d y t ak ing a t o l l is t h e e x p o r t o f t u r t l e s and t u r t l e p roduc t s t o neighboring i s l a n d s , p a r t i c u l a r l y S t . Mart in . A change i n t h e method of f i s h i n g t u r t l e s is a l s o having a nega t i ve e f f e c t on popu l a t i ons . The t r a d i t i o n a l method o f s e t t i n g t a n g l e n e t s is dying o u t a s c o s t s f o r n e t m a t e r i a l s and g a s o l i n e i n c r e a s e , and a s f ishermen t u r n to t h e more l u c r a t i v e l o b s t e r bus ine s s . Only about t e n people were engaged i n s e t t i n g n e t s f o r t u r t l e s i n 1980. The new g e n e r a t i o n c a t c h e s t u r t l e s wi th spearguns. For t h e most p a r t , they a r e young d i v e r s , who comb t h e r e e f s look ing f o r l o b s t e r , f i s h and conch. They t a k e t u r t l e s o n l y o p p o r t u n i s t i c a l l y . With spearguns f o r weapons, however, t hey a r e a b l e t o c a t ch n e a r l y every t u r t l e t hey encounte r , and a s a r e s u l t , f a r more a r e being k i l l e d than ever be fo r e . Also, small-er s i z e c l a s s e s a r e f o r t h e f i r s t time inc luded i n t h e h a r v e s t . The hawksb i l l is by f a r t h e most v u l n e r a b l e s p e c i e s , because it s h a r e s t h e h a b i t a t o f t h e l o b s t e r . A few d i v e r s who have become aware o f t h e p r o f i t t o be had i n t h e t o r t o i s e s h e l l t r a d e now c o n c e n t r a t e t h e i r e f f o r t s on hawksbi l l s . The meat o f g reen t u r t l e s and hawksb i l l s is s o l d 1.ocally t o p r i v a t e i n d i v i d u a l s and to h o t e l s on t h e i s l a n d . I n 1980, t h e p r i c e was approximately US$2/kg. Fishermen a l s o c a r r y meat t o S t . Martin t o se l l , where t h e r e is a s t e ady demand to supply t h e many h o t e l r e s t a u r a n t s . Live t u r t l e s a r e o x a s i o n a l l y t r a n s p o r t e d on t h e f e r r y t h a t runs t o Marigot , S t . Mart in . The meat of t h e l e a the rback is ea t en on Angui l l a , b u t is probably n o t expor ted . Eggs o f a l l s p e c i e s a r e taken whenever t hey a r e found, bu t t h e r e appears t o be no commerce i n them--presumably because o f t h e i r s c a r c i t y . T o r t o i s e s h e l l is s o l d t o buyers on S t . Mart in , or t o e n t r e p r e n e u r s from S t . Thomas and Pue r to R i c o , who p e r i o d i c a l l y v i s i t Angui l la f o r t h i s purpose. The p r i c e f o r raw s h e l l i n 1980 was US$20/kg. There is c u r r e n t l y no l o c a l h a n d i c r a f t i n t o r t o i s e s h e l l . Carapaces o f hawksb i l l s and green t u r t l e s a r e d r i e d and prepared f o r l o c a l s a l e , o r a r e s o l d t o shops on S t . Martin. Cu r r en t l y , t h i s t r a d e is smal l i n magnitude. S h e l l s o f 15 j u v e n i l e hawksb i l l s and one s u b a d u l t g reen t u r t l e were seen by t h e au thor f o r sa1.e a t v a r i o u s p l a c e s on Anguilla. A l l of the hawksbi l l s were w e l l below the 9 kg minimum s i z e l i m i t (Table 2) , and thus had been captured i l l e g a l l y . Severa l nes t ing beaches on Anguilla have been, o r a r e c u r r e n t l y being, mined f o r sand f o r cons t ruc t ion purposes: Shoal Bay, Mead's Bay and Barnes Bay (ECNAMP, 1980). The impact of t hese ope ra t ions on sea t u r t l e nes t ing has not been assessed . Anguil la has no s a n c t u a r i e s o r pa rks t h a t provide p ro t ec t ion f o r s ea t u r t l e s (Table 3 ) . However, a proposa l under cons ide ra t ion recommends the es tab l i shment o f t h r e e p ro t ec t ed marine a reas : Sea l I s l and Coral Reef Reserve, which would inc lude Sea l I s l and , t he e a s t e r n P r i ck ly Pear Cay and an ex tens ive t r a c t o f the north b a r r i e r r e e f ; Sandy I s l and National Marine Park; and Shoal Bay National Marine Park (A. Putney, i n litt .) . A l l t h r ee could p o t e n t i a l l y b e n e f i t sea t u r t l e s , provided t h a t s p e c i f i c r egu la t ions f o r t h e i r p r o t e c t i o n were included. Another a r ea t h a t deserves cons ide ra t ion a s a p o s s i b l e sanc tuary is Dog I s l and and its surrounding cays and r e e f s . S a i n t Martin ( 1 8 ? 0 5 ' ~ , 63'03 'W) Sa in t Martin is approximately 120 km2 i n s i z e and is s i t u a t e d on Anguil la Bank, along with the i s l a n d s of Anguil la , S t . ~ a r t h 6 l e m y and I l e Fourche. The northern h a l f of the i s l a n d is a dependency administered through Guadeloupe, an overseas department o f France; t he southern h a l f is one o f s i x Netherlands A n t i l l e s , administered by a c e n t r a l government based i n C u r a ~ a o . Major cays a s soc i a t ed wi th S t . Martin a r e F l a t I s l and ( I le ~ i n t a m a r r e ) , P i n e l I s l and and Green Cay, a l l of which l ie o f f the windward ( e a s t e r n ) c o a s t (Fig. 3 ) . None is inhabi ted . The waters around S t . Martin a r e r e l a t i v e l y shallow i n depth (18-27 m ) . There a r e ex tens ive seagrass beds o f f the northwestern and southwestern c o a s t s . The northwestern seagrass bed is 11,600 ha i n s i z e (ECNAMP, 1982). Coral r e e f s extend along much o f the c o a s t l i n e . Detai led d e s c r i p t i o n s of t he s h o r e l i n e a r e given by Vroman (1968). Most of t he i s l a n d ' s sandy beaches a r e on the southern and northwestern c o a s t s ; those on the windward shore a r e , i n gene ra l , deeply eroded. Sand mining f o r cons t ruc t ion purposes is c a r r i e d ou t a t nea r ly a dozen beaches around the i s l and (ECNAMP, 1980). The beaches on the southern c o a s t a r e among t h e most commercially developed i n t he Eas te rn Caribbean. Hotels and condominiums a r e under cons t ruc t ion on much o f t h e French c o a s t a s w e l l , and t h e r e w i l l soon be few beaches on t h e e n t i r e i s l and t h a t remain undeveloped. The green t u r t l e and hawksbi l l a r e t he p r i n c i p a l marine t u r t l e spec i e s around S t . Martin. Neither appears t o be very abundant. The loggerhead and leatherback a r e a l s o p re sen t but r a r e l y encountered. The frequency o f nes t ing by a l l marine t u r t l e s p e c i e s is apparent ly q u i t e low. A few hawksbi l ls and even fewer green t u r t l e s n e s t a t Guana Bay and Oyster Pond on the windward c o a s t , a t Long Bay on t h e southwestern t i p of t h e i s l and , and on F l a t I s l and . Divers have seen copula t ing p a i r s o f both spec i e s i n the Oyster Pond a rea . Nest ing by t h e l e a the rback is extremely uncommon, wi th on ly one o r two i n d i v i d u a l s observed on t h e beaches annua l ly . In t h e r e c e n t p a s t l e a t h e r b a c k s have ne s t ed a t Long Bay and Simpson Bay. Hermans (1961) r epo r t ed t h e ne s t i ng o f a l e a the rback on S t . Martin on 1 7 A p r i l 1960. There a r e no r e p o r t s o f n e s t i n g by C a r e t t a . Hawksbills occupy ree f h a b i t a t s a long t h e e a s t e r n c o a s t o f t h e i s l a n d , e s p e c i a l l y o f f Oyster Pond, F l a t I s l a n d and P i n e l Cay. Two j u v e n i l e s caught by a d i v e r a t Guana Bay had been f eed ing on a v a r i e t y of sponges. Hawksbills a r e a l s o found around Pe l i c an Cay (Guana Cay) , and a t Man O'War Shoa ls , 3.2 km d i r e c t l y south o f Ph i l i p sbu rg . Green t u r t l e s f o r age i n t h e e x t e n s i v e Tha l a s s i a beds o f f t h e nor thwestern c o a s t . A t u r t l e f isherman from Grand Case sets n e t s f o r g reen t u r t l e s a t Po in t du B l u f f , west o f Marigot. I n former times, green t u r t l e s could be seen fo r ag ing i n t h e harbor a t Ph i l i p sbu rg , b u t wi th t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a deep-water p i e r a t Po in t Blanche, and t h e accompanying i n c r e a s e i n s h i p t r a f f i c , they a r e now r a r e l y s i gh t ed . t h e S t . few has two T u r t l e s ( s p e c i e s n o t i d e n t i f i e d ) a r e a l s o r epo r t ed t o f o r a g e around rocky islet Molly Beday, a sea b i r d rookery. A r e s i d e n t o f nearby Barthglemy wi tnessed t h e c a p t u r e o f seven t u r t l e s t h e r e i n on ly a hours i n t h e l a t e 1960 's . T u r t l e s a r e n o t known t o l i v e i n Simpson Bay Lagoon, a l though i t . a t times been f r e e l y connected t o t h e ocean. There a r e c u r r e n t l y i n l e t s , one on t h e sou th s i d e o f t h e i s l a n d a t Simpson Bay, and t h e o t h e r on t h e nor th . Popula t ion l e v e l s o f marine t u r t l e s on S t . Mart in appear to be low, d e s p i t e t h e p resence o f much s u i t a b l e f o r ag ing h a b i t a t . Although it is n o t c l e a r what f a c t o r s may have ope ra t ed t h e r e i n t h e p a s t , commercial e x p l o i t a t i o n and loss of n e s t i n g h a b i t a t a r e t h e major problems today. S p e a r f i s h i n g is commonly p r a c t i c e d , a s is t h e t ak ing o f female t u r t l e s and t h e i r eggs from n e s t i n g beaches. A few French fishermen s t i l l employ t a n g l e n e t s . Fishermen from o t h e r is lands--notably S t . Barthglemy--also set n e t s around S t . Mart in . T u r t l e meat is o c c a s i o n a l l y s o l d a t t h e p u b l i c market i n Mar i g o t , t h e main town on t h e French s i d e of t h e i s l a n d . Although some t u r t l e s a r e cap tured f o r l o c a l s a l e o r s u b s i s t e n c e use, t h e g r e a t e s t p r e s s u r e on S t . Mar t i n ' s t u r t l e popu l a t i ons is e x e r t e d by the t o u r i s t i n d u s t r y . Souvenirs made from t u r t l e s , and t u r t l e s t e a k s f o r r e s t a u r a n t s , a r e i n g r e a t demand i n t h e t o u r i s t - o r i e n t e d economy. For t h e most p a r t , t h e supply o f t u r t l e s is provided by d i v e r s who use spearguns. The dep l e t ed s t a t u s o f l o c a l s t o c k s n e c e s s i t a t e s t r a v e l by t h e d i v e r s t o neighboring i s l a n d s , such a s Angui l l a and S t . E u s t a t i u s . There is a l s o an a c t i v e t r a d e i n t o r t o i s e s h e l l . I n 1980, one t o r t o i s e s h e l l d e a l e r i n S t . Mart in was buying s h e l l from s e v e r a l i s l a n d s i n t h e nor thern Leewards, and expo r t i ng it t o Holland. Desp i te t h e h i g h p r i c e he o f f e r e d , US$lOO/kg, he was a b l e t o purchase less than h a l f a s much s h e l l a s fo rmer ly , presumably because hawksbi l l popu l a t i ons have been so badly dep l e t ed . There a r e no laws p r o t e c t i n g marine t u r t l e s on Dutch S t . Mart in . Controversy about t h e r e s p e c t i v e j u r i s d i c t i o n s o f t h e c e n t r a l government and t h e l o c a l i s l a n d government h a s r e s u l t e d i n t h i s s i t u a t i o n , which p r e v a i l s n o t o n l y on S t . Mart in b u t a l s o on Saba and S t . E u s t a t i u s . The French p o r t i o n o f t h e i s l a n d , a s a dependency, is s u b j e c t to t h e laws of Guadeloupe. L e g i s l a t i o n b e a r i n g on t u r t l e s is summarized i n Tab le 2. S t . Mart in c u r r e n t l y h a s no marine p a r k s o r s a n c t u a r i e s , a l t h o u g h s e v e r a l a r e a s a r e under c o n s i d e r a t i o n (ECNAMP, 1980) (Table 3 ) . Of t h e s e , Man OIWar Shoal , P e l i c a n Cay and Molly Beday a r e o f importance a s f o r a g i n g h a b i t a t f o r t u r t l e s . Whether p r o t e c t i o n w i l l be g i v e n to marine t u r t l e s i n t h e s e s a n c t u a r i e s is n o t known. S a i n t ~ a r t h e ' l e m y (17'53 I N , 62'50 'W) S a i n t ~ a r t h 6 l e m y l i e s 1 8 km s o u t h e a s t o f S t . Mar t in , and is a l s o a dependency admin i s te red through GuadeIoupe. The s m a l l rocky i s l a n d is roughly 25 km i n a r e a . It i n c l u d e s s e v e r a l u n i n h a b i t e d i s l a n d s and c a y s , t h e l a r g e s t o f which a r e I l e Fourche, I l e Bonhomme, I l e ~ r 6 g a t e , I l e Toc Vers , and La Tortue (F ig . 4 ) . m e r e is a lmos t no r e e f h a b i t a t around t h e i s l a n d and its a s s o c i a t e d c a y s , b u t t h e r e a r e e x t e n s i v e s e a g r a s s beds o f f much o f t h e c o a s t (ECNAMP, 1980) . There a r e s e v e r a l r e l a t i v e l y s h o r t , whi te sand beaches t h a t appear to be s u i t a b l e n e s t i n g h a b i t a t f o r s e a t u r t l e s . Four s p e c i e s o f marine t u r t l e s occur a t S t . ~ a r t h 6 l e m y : t h e g r e e n t u r t l e , h a w k s b i l l , loggerhead and l e a t h e r b a c k . Of t h e s e , t h e g r e e n t u r t l e and h a w k s b i l l a r e by f a r t h e most common. They a r e seen p r i m a r i l y i n c o a s t a l h a b i t a t s , whereas t h e loggerhead and l e a t h e r b a c k , on t h e r a r e o c c a s i o n s t h a t they a r e s e e n , a r e encounte red i n t h e open s e a . So few loggerheads occur t h a t one t u r t l e f i sherman in te rv iewed a t Flamand had seen o n l y f i v e i n h i s l i f e t i m e o f some 50 y e a r s . The l a s t he had c a p t u r e d 8-10 km o f f s h o r e ; i ts s t r a i g h t c a r a p a c e l e n g t h was 52 c m ( P l . 5 ) . The beach a t Anse Columbier and one on I l e Fourche were i n d i c a t e d a s n e s t i n g s i t e s by ECNAMP (1980) . The s p e c i e s invo lved was n o t i d e n t i f i e d . Very l i t t l e ev idence o f n e s t i n g was found d u r i n g t h e p r e s e n t survey. Reports o f i n c i d e n t a l n e s t i n g a t Flamand presumably involved h a w k s b i l l s , a l though one l e a t h e r b a c k had n e s t e d t h e r e i n t h e r e c e n t p a s t . Flamand r e s i d e n t s r e p o r t e d t h a t t u r t l e s fo rmer ly n e s t e d t h e r e i n somewhat g r e a t e r numbers, b u t never i n any c o n c e n t r a t i o n . N o o t h e r r e p o r t s of n e s t i n g by l e a t h e r b a c k s were r e c e i v e d . It a p p e a r s t h a t t h e loggerhead does n o t n e s t a t a l l on t h e i s l a n d . A r e s i d e n t o f t h e v i l l a g e o f Corosso l r e p o r t e d t h a t t u r t l e s used t o n e s t on t h e s m a l l beach a t t h i s v i l l a g e up u n t i l 1 5 y e a r s ago, b u t had ceased to do so a f t e r b r i g h t l i g h t s were i n s t a l l e d behind t h e beach. The s p e c i e s o f t u r t l e was n o t i d e n t i f i e d . The on ly n e s t i n g a t t r i b u t e d by in formants to t h e g r e e n t u r t l e was t h a t o f a s i n g l e t u r t l e t h a t emerged a t Anse de Grande S a l i n e i n 1978. Grande S a l i n e and nearby Anse du Gouverneur a r e two o f t h e l a r g e s t beaches on t h e i s l a n d . They a r e on t h e s o u t h e r n c o a s t , which is s p a r s e l y i n h a b i t e d and d i f f i c u l t t o reach by c a r . Because o f t h e i r r e l a t i v e i s o l a t i o n , t h e y ho ld t h e most promise a s n e s t i n g s i t e s f o r s e a t u r t l e s . The beaches were n o t v i s i t e d dur ing t h e p r e s e n t su rvey . Sand mining is c a r r i e d o u t a t Grande S a l i n e (ECNAMP, 1980) . ECNAMP (1980) i d e n t i f i e d feeding a r e a s a t Anse du Gouverneur and Anse de Grande S a l i n e on t h e southern c o a s t , o f f t h e nor thwestern p e n i n s u l a near Columbier, and t o t h e southwest o f I l e Fourche. These feed ing grounds c l o s e l y correspond t o s e a g r a s s beds de sc r i bed i n t h e same p u b l i c a t i o n , and a r e presumably p a s t u r e s where g reen t u r t l e s f o r age . A t one t ime, t u r t l e s occupied feed ing h a b i t a t s around t h e many smal l cays . They have been dep l e t ed i n t h e s e nearshore h a b i t a t s , accord ing t o l o c a l f ishermen, who complain t h a t they now must t r a v e l f a r t h e r t o s e t t h e i r nets-- to I l e Fourche, o r t o ne ighbor ing S t . E u s t a t i u s o r S t . Mart in . A t o r t o i s e s h e l l buyer from S t . Mart in r epo r t ed having t r i e d t o purchase a "huge moundn o f s h e l l t h a t S t . Ba r t f ishermen had accumulated from hawksb i l l s caught around S t . E u s t a t i u s . Res iden ts o f S t . ~ a r t h g l e m y recognize a d e c l i n e i n l o c a l t u r t l e popula t ion l e v e l s , and o f f e r a s ev idence reduced n e s t i n g l e v e l s and smal le r c a t ches . One n e t f isherman caught 40 t u r t l e s i n 1975; i n 1980, he caught on ly one, a l though he c la imed t o have t r i e d e q u a l l y hard . During t h e same y e a r , another f isherman i n t h e same v i l l a g e caught on ly t h r e e . The number o f men s e t t i n g n e t s f o r t u r t l e s is small.--probably fewer than seven on t h e i s l and . Nobody is dependent on t u r t l e f i s h i n g f o r a l i v e l i h o o d . They c a t c h t u r t l e s t o o b t a i n meat f o r t h e i r own consumption, and t o se l l i n t h e i r v i l l a g e s . To what e x t e n t t h e meat is s o l d to r e s t a u r a n t s is n o t known. To an i nc r ea s ing e x t e n t , t h e f ishermen a l s o seek income from raw t o r to iseshel l - -which was s e l l i n g f o r US$18/kg i n 1980--and from po l i shed ca r apaces . The s h e l l s a r e s o l d d i r e c t l y t o t o u r i s t s . No t u r t l e souven i r s were seen f o r s a l e i n t h e shops i n Gustavia . L e g i s l a t i o n p e r t a i n i n g to s e a t u r t l e s is summarized i n Table 2 . There a r e no pa rk s o r p r o t e c t e d marine a r e a s . Saba, another i s l a n d o f t h e Nether land Antilles, is s i t u a t e d 45 km sou th o f S t . Mart in . It is approximately 13 km2 i n a r e a . The i s l a n d rises s t e e p l y from an ocean depth o f about 650 m, and is formed by t h e cone o f an e x t i n c t volcano. There a r e few s h e l t e r e d bays around t h e rocky c o a s t l i n e and no permanent beaches , a l though s e a s o n a l accumulat ions o f sand a r e o c c a s i o n a l l y used f o r n e s t i n g by s e a t u r t l e s . There a r e on ly smal l , s c a t t e r e d pa t ches o f s e a g r a s s a long t h e c o a s t , t h e most e x t e n s i v e o f which l i e o f f F l a t Po in t and Old Booby H i l l ; t h e r e is a lmos t no r e e f h a b i t a t (ECNAMP, 1980) (F ig . 5 ) . Saba Bank, an e x t e n s i v e sha l l l ow , sandy s h e l f , l ies southwest o f t h e i s l a n d . The green t u r t l e and t h e hawksbi l l a r e t h e on ly marine t u r t l e s p e c i e s commonly seen a t Saba. Of t h e s e , t h e g reen t u r t l e is s a i d to be t h e more common. Both a r e seen year-round i n f o r ag ing h a b i t a t s around t h e i s l and . On r a r e occas ions , l e a t h e r b a c k s a r e s i g h t e d on Saba Bank, presumably when pass ing i n migra t ion t o o t h e r d e s t i n a t i o n s . Only one r e p o r t o f a loggerhead was heard ; t h e t u r t l e had been cap tured on Saba Bank . Saba has v i r t u a l l y no permanent beaches and it is d i f f i c u l t t o imagine any but the most desultory nesting by sea t u r t l e s on the seasonally deposited beaches. Residents i n s i s t , however, t h a t hawksbills and green t u r t l e s do nest on rare occasions a t Cave of Rum Bay, Well Bay and Fort Bay. The .numbers a re undoubtedly very small. One octogenarian recalled the nesting of a leatherback a t Fort Bay many years ago. Both green t u r t l e s and hawksbills have been seen mating i n Saban waters. Curiously, there have been several s ight ings of green t u r t l e s mating around the buoy in the harbour a t Fort Bay. The t u r t l e s appear t o be a t t r ac ted t o the f loat ing buoy, a s they a re to decoys which fishermen sometimes use t o catch them. m e curved carapace length of a female green t u r t l e t ha t had been captured with a speargun while mating a t the buoy was 115 c m . This is considerably larger than the average s i z e of green t u r t l e s in the western Caribbean and comparable to t ha t of t u r t l e s nesting a t Aves Island. Because o f the i s l and ' s small s i z e and s teeply sloping coas ta l she l f , there is limited foraging hab i ta t for t u r t l e s . That which e x i s t s , however, appears t o be well populated by green t u r t l e s , and t o a l e sse r extent , by hawksbills. During the days when t u r t l e nets were used, f avor i t e nett ing locations--and thus , presumably, good feeding areas for turtles--were Ft . Bay, Cove Bay and Green Island (Pl . 9) . Although t u r t l e net t ing is not practiced today, information on t u r t l e foraging areas is available from members of loca l scuba clubs. They repor t seeing adul t green t u r t l e s and hawksbills around Green Island; green t u r t l e s in the area north of Corner Point , and along t h e south coast between Giles Quarter and Tent Bay; and hawksbills on the reef a t Core G u t Bay. Green t u r t l e s a re a l so seen by fishermen out on Saba Bank, but no one interviewed had knowledge of t he i r abundance or seasonali ty there. Tur t les a t Saba a re sa id t o be "not so p l e n t i f u l , now." The hawksbill is thought to be pa r t i cu l a r l y scarce, l a rge ly a s a r e s u l t of spear f ishing . A former t u r t l e fisherman considered t u r t l e s too scarce today to make s e t t i ng nets worthwhile. Indeed, not a s i ng l e net fisherman could be iden t i f i ed on Saba i n 1980. Turt les used t o f igure more prominently i n the i s l and ' s cul ture . During the ea r ly pa r t of the century, Sabans used t o s a i l by schooner to Aves Island to harvest green t u r t l e s . The men were dropped of f on Aves for two week periods t o turn t u r t l e s a s they came up t o nest. The sh ip then returned to t ranspor t them and t he i r catch of a s many a s 50 t u r t l e s back to Saba. A small number of men on the island have customarily been involved in s e t t i ng t u r t l e nets i n Saban waters. In the 1940's there were four t u r t l e r s operating out of The Bottom. Although the pract ice of f i shing for t u r t l e s with nets has e s s en t i a l l y died ou t , spearfishing has replaced it. Spearfishing is very popular, especia l ly among members of the ac t ive scuba clubs on the island. Club members estimate tha t only 10-20 t u r t l e s a re k i l l ed annually with spearguns, but it is l i ke ly t ha t the catch exceeds t h i s . I t was surpr is ing t o learn tha t even adul t t u r t l e s a re taken in t h i s manner, a s evidenced by the capture of the 115-cm green t u r t l e a t Fort Bay. I n order to capture such large t u r t l e s , a long l ine ana a t loa t are attached to the spear to allow pursuit of the t u r t l e by boat, once the spear is well-lodged. The t u r t l e can be quickly t i red i n t h i s way, and then landed with l i t t l e d i f f icu l ty . Although spearf ishing constitutes the greatest threat to tu r t l e s a t Saba today, they are also captured and killed on the rare occasions that they are encountered on the beach. Turtle meat is popular among Sabans, as are t u r t l e curios. Polished carapaces are on display i n many homes. One c ra f t shop i n Windwardside offered for sale the shel ls of five hawksbills and two green tu r t l e s , a l l of which had been taken from tu r t l e s captured w i t h spearguns. The magnitude of the souvenir trade is small a t present, owing to the small number of shops and touris ts . There is no evidence of trade in tor toiseshel l , presumably because the number of hawksbills that are caught i s relatively small. There are no laws pertaining to sea tu r t l e s , and no protected marine areas. Saint Eustatius (17~30 I N , 63'00 'W) Saint Eustatius, or Stat ia , as it is called, l i e s 22 km southeast of Saba, and is one of the Netherlands Antilles. It is of volcanic origin, and is approxim&tely 30 km2 in area (Fig. 6) . Much of the shoreline is rocky and steep, with few beaches suitable for nesting by sea tu r t l e s . Coral reefs encircle almost the ent i re island, with the greatest development off the southwest quadrant; a large seagrass bed l i e s north of Oranjestad Bay (ECNAMP, 1980) . The hawksbill and green t u r t l e are the only marine t u r t l e s that commonly occur. The hawksbill, which is said to be the more common of the two, appears to be relatively abundant, compared to population levels a t neighboring islands. This is presumably due to the avai labi l i ty of extensive reef habitat and to an unusually low level of exploitation. The leatherback is known only from a few nesting records. The loggerhead has not been recorded. Few tu r t l e s of any species nest a t Stat ia . Those tha t do, favor beaches on the Atlantic side. The local i ty most frequently named by informants as a sea t u r t l e nesting s i t e is Zeelandia, in Concordia Bay. This is a wide, high-energy beach, backed by high dunes. It is the longest on the island--approximately 2 km i n length. Both green tu r t l e s and hawksbills are reported to nest there on rare occasions. The leatherback has also been observed. Because of the orientation of Zeelandia w i t h respect to Atlantic currents, i t is subject to seaborne pollution; it also serves as the solid waste disposal s i t e for the island (ECNAMP, 1980). No nesting is reported on the second-largest beach on the island, that a t Oranjestad, the capital . This i s a relatively low-energy shore, and because of its proximity to the capi ta l , it is heavily used by people. Single reports were received of nesting by hawksbills on small beaches a t Nap, Corre Corre Bay, Kay Bay and Crook Bay, but were not corroborated by other interviews. Divers from t h e l o c a l scuba c l u b s e e hawksb i l l s o f a l l s i z e s on t h e r e e f s around S t a t i a , and o f f t h e sou th c o a s t near White Wall. Green t u r t l e s have been observed blowing i n t h e harbour a t Oran jes tad . One fisherman r e l a t e d h i s view t h a t smal l g reen t u r t l e s s l e e p i n an a r e a near t h e p i e r i n t h e harbour , and move o f f s h o r e each day t o feed . Twenty y e a r s ago, when n e t s were s t i l l used t o c a t c h t u r t l e s , Oran j e s t ad Bay, Jenk ins Bay and White Wall were p r e f e r r e d n e t t i n g l o c a t i o n s . L i t t l e in format ion is a v a i l a b l e on popu l a t i on t r e n d s o f S t a t i a ' s marine t u r t l e s . Seve ra l o f t h e r e s i d e n t s in terviewed. be l i eved t h a t fewer t u r t l e s nes ted a t p r e s e n t than formerly . Th is , i n i t s e l f , is a weak c r i t e r i o n , however, because t h e r e is no ev idence t h a t t h e l e v e l o f n e s t i n g was ever s i g n i f i c a n t . S t a t i a ' s t u r t l e popu l a t i ons seem to be s u b j e c t t o less p r e s s u r e from e x p l o i t a t i o n t han e lsewhere i n t h e reg ion , a t l e a s t a t t h e p r e s e n t time. Net t ing is no t p r a c t i c e d , and appa ren t l y h a s n o t been f o r s e v e r a l yea r s . T u r t l e s a r e cap tured by spea r f ishermen, b u t because t h e r e is r e l a t i v e l y l i t t l e tour i sm on t h e i s l a n d , t h e u s u a l markets f o r c u r i o s and t u r t l e meat do no t e x i s t , and t h e c a t c h appears t o be smal l . N o t r a d e i n t o r t o i s e s h e l l was r e p o r t e d , a l though it may occur . T u r t l e s a r e k i l l e d on t h e n e s t i n g beaches whenever t hey a r e encountered, and unknown numbers a r e taken by n e t f ishermen and d i v e r s from o t h e r i s l a n d s . There is no l e g i s l a t i o n regard ing t h e i r c ap tu r e . There is a p r o t e c t e d marine a r e a near Jenkins Bay (ECNAMP, 1980) . The bay was once cons idered a good fo r ag ing a r e a f o r t u r t l e s , b u t its s t a t u s today is unknown. S t . K i t t s (17?20'N, 62O45 '~ ) -- S t . K i t t s , o r S t . Ch r i s t ophe r , a s it is o f f i c i a l l y named, l i es 112 km southwest o f S t . E u s t a t i u s . It and t h e nearby i s l a n d o f Nevis have i n t h e p a s t been p o l i t i c a l l y u n i t e d a s an Associated S t a t e l i nked t o G r e a t B r i t a i n . They gained independence i n September 1983. The 168 km i s l a n d is o f v o l c a n i c o r i g i n , and l ies on a bank wi th S t . E u s t a t i u s and Nevis. Most o f t h e popula t ion o f 36,000 is concen t r a t ed a long t h e c o a s t l i n e ; t h e long sou thea s t e rn pen in su l a is near l y un inhab i ted (F ig . 7 ) . The b e s t ne s t i ng h a b i t a t f o r t u r t l e s is on t h e A t l a n t i c c o a s t , where an e x t e n s i v e beach s t r e t c h e s more or less con t i nuous ly from t h e Cayon River t o North F r i g a t e Bay. There a r e a l s o s e v e r a l small beaches around t h e t i p o f t h e sou thea s t e rn pen insu la . The beaches on t h e western c o a s t o f t h e i s l a n d a r e r e l a t i v e l y f l a t and narrow. Cora l r e e f s ex tend along much o f t h e c o a s t and a r e p a r t i c u l a r l y numerous on t h e windward s i d e between Canada E s t a t e and North F r i g a t e Bay, and a t Dieppe. There a r e ex t ens ive s e a g r a s s beds cover ing 1,200 ha around t h e sou thea s t e rn pen in su l a (ECNAMP, 1980, 1982) . Three s p e c i e s o f marine t u r t l e s commonly occur a t S t . K i t t s . The green t u r t l e and hawksbi l l a r e seen year-round and a r e r ep r e sen t ed by a wide range o f s i z e groups. The l e a the rback is p r e s e n t a lmost e x c l u s i v e l y dur ing t h e ne s t i ng season. The loggerhead is seen on ly r a r e l y . The ne s t i ng season fo r l e a the rbacks is March through May. They n e s t on t h e A t l a n t i c c o a s t , p r i n c i p a l l y between t h e Cayon River and Key Ghut, b u t a l s o , t o a lesser e x t e n t , on beaches a s f a r sou th a s Sand Bank Bay. Res iden ts o f t h e v i l l a g e o f Key r epo r t ed t h a t 8-12 l e a t h e r b a c k s n e s t annua l l y between t h e Cayon River and Key Ghut. On 19 May 1983 t h e r e were seven t r a c k s o f varying ages on t h e beach. The b lack sand beach is wide and h a s a h igh p la t fo rm. Its approach from t h e s e a is unobs t ruc t ed , whereas beaches t o t h e sou th are to vary ing deg ree s blocked by c o r a l r e e f s . Leatherbacks a l s o n e s t i n small numbers on t h e wes te rn c o a s t a t B e l l e Tete, t h e sandy promontory j u s t nor th o f Sandy Po in t Town. Caldwel l and Rathjen (1969) r epo r t ed t h e c a p t u r e o f a l e a the rback on t h i s beach i n June , 1968. This is a l s o a black sand beach. It has a s t e e p e r p r o f i l e than is c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f beaches on t h e leeward c o a s t and is an a r e a o f sand a c c r e t i o n . Sand mining has been c a r r i e d o u t t h e r e f o r many y e a r s (P l . 4 ) . Five l e a the rback t r a c k s o f vary ing ages were found on t h i s beach du r ing a survey on 18 May 1983. Another l e a the rback was r e p o r t e d to have nes ted du r ing t he pe r i od 19-26 May. Hawksbi l ls and, t o a l e s s e r e x t e n t , g reen t u r t l e s , n e s t s p o r a d i c a l l y on t h e i s l a n d . The most f r e q u e n t l y mentioned n e s t i n g sites f o r bo th s p e c i e s a r e on t h e t i p o f t h e sou thea s t e rn peninsula--a t Major Bay, Banana Bay, Cock l e she l l Bay, Mosquito Bay and Sand Bank Bay. These beaches a r e a c c e s s i b l e on ly by b o a t , a f a c t o r t h a t has p robab ly c o n t r i b u t e d to t h e i r con t inued s t a t u s a s n e s t i n g sites. Both s p e c i e s a l s o n e s t i n c i d e n t a l l y a t Conaree and Belle Tete . Green turt les fo r age , o c c a s i o n a l l y i n groups, on t h e n o r t h c o a s t a t W i l l e t t ' s Bay and around t h e sou thea s t e rn pen in su l a . Hawksbi l ls a r e seen on sha l low r e e f s around Dieppe, B e l l e T e t e and Canada E s t a t e . One loggerhead was r epo r t ed to have been caught i n s i d e t h e r ee f a t Dieppe, and ano ther o f f Key Ghut. Sea t u r t l e popu l a t i ons a t S t . K i t t s a r e cons idered by most r e s i d e n t s t o be d e c l i n i n g . N e t f i shermen complain about d e c l i n e s i n annua l c a t c h e s . Catch r a t e s f o r f ishermen today a r e o f t h e o r d e r o f 10-20 per year . A t u r t l e f isherman a t Dieppe used t o c a t c h 50 t u r t l e s pe r yea r i n t h e e a r l y 1960 ' s ; i n 1979, he caught a t o t a l o f f ou r g reen t u r t l e s and hawksb i l l s , and one l e a the rback . He impl ied t h a t he had e x e r t e d e q u a l e f f o r t dur ing both per i d s - - a l t h o u g h t h i s is a d i f f i c u l t p o i n t t o e s t a b l i s h . Approximately t en people on t h e i s l a n d s t i l l s e t n e t s f o r t u r t l e s . None a r e e x c l u s i v e l y dependent on t h i s f o r t h e i r l i v e l i h o o d , bu t t h e meat and income a r e undoubtedly an important c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e i r subs i s t ence . Most o f t h e t u r t l e s t h a t a r e caught a r e immature g reen t u r t l e s . L e g i s l a t i o n regard ing t h e c a p t u r e o f t u r t l e s is summarized i n Table 2. Meat o f a l l s p e c i e s o f s e a t u r t l e s is ea t en ; t h a t of t h e l e a the rback is t h e least p r e f e r r e d . Meat is s o l d i n many v i l l a g e s , and o c c a s i o n a l l y i n t h e p u b l i c market i n Bas se t e r r e . It is a l s o s o l d t o l o c a l h o t e l s . The p r i c e i n 1980 was ~ S $ 0 . 8 0 / k g ; it had increased t o uS$l. 6O/kg by 1983. T u r t l e eggs a r e a l s o e a t e n , bu t a r e r a r e l y so ld . The o i l o f t h e l e a the rback is wide ly used f o r medic ina l purposes . I n May 1983 t o r t o i s e s h e l l s o l d f o r US$24/kg. Some o f t h e s h e l l is worked l o c a l l y , b u t most is expor ted raw. There is c u r r e n t l y l i t t l e u se o f t u r t l e s f o r souven i r s , presumably because o f t h e low l e v e l o f t o u r i s m . There a r e c u r r e n t l y no s a n c t u a r i e s or p a r k s on S t . K i t t s t h a t p r o v i d e p r o t e c t i o n f o r marine t u r t l e s . However, a p lanned p r o t e c t e d a r e a around t h e s o u t h e a s t e r n p e n i n s u l a would i n c l u d e impor tan t f o r a g i n g a r e a s . Nevis (17'09 I N , 62O35 'w) Nevis is s e p a r a t e d from S t . K i t t s by a s t r a i t 3 . 2 km wide. The roughly c i r c u l a r i s l a n d , 93 k m 2 i n a r e a , is a v o l c a n i c cone t h a t r i s e s t o a peak o f 985 m . C o r a l r e e f s a r e p r e s e n t around much o f t h e c o a s t , and e x t e n s i v e s e a g r a s s beds l i e o f f t h e nor thwes t and s o u t h e r n s h o r e s (ECNAMP, 1980) (F ig . 8 ) . The g r e e n t u r t l e and h a w k s b i l l a r e t h e most common t u r t l e s around Nevis, t h e former be ing t h e more abundant. Both s p e c i e s a r e r e p r e s e n t e d by a wide range o f s i z e c l a s s e s . The l e a t h e r b a c k is a l s o known to o c c u r , but o n l y as an i n ? requen t n e s t i n g v i s i t a n t . The loggerhead is t h e l e a s t common s p e c i e s ; t h e few i n d i v i d u a l s t h a t have been seen were immature. There is l i t t l e n e s t i n g h a b i t a t f o r s e a t u r t l e s on t h e i s l a n d . The most e x t e n s i v e beach is P inney ' s Beach. It is a f l a t , low-energy s h o r e , backed by coconut g r o v e s , and l o c a t e d c l o s e to Char les town, t h e c a p i t a l . Because it is one o f t h e few beaches on t h e i s l a n d , it is h e a v i l y f r e q u e n t e d by r e s i d e n t s and t o u r i s t s . There a r e r e p o r t s t h a t g r e e n t u r t l e s and h a w k s b i l l s have n e s t e d t h e r e i n t h e p a s t , b u t it seems d o u b t f u l t h a t much n e s t i n g o c c u r s today. Caldwel l and Rathjen (1969) r e p o r t e d n e s t i n g by a l e a t h e r b a c k on t h e western c o a s t o f Nevis i n 1966. According t o t h e o r i g i n a l s o u r c e o f t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n , t h e l e a t h e r b a c k had n e s t e d on P inney ' s Beach (A. Anslyn, p e r s . co rn . ) . T h i s was c o n s i d e r e d by l o c a l peop le t o b e an unusual e v e n t . S e v e r a l s m a l l beaches on t h e s o u t h e a s t coas t - -a t Ind ian C a s t l e E s t a t e and n o r t h o f Red C l i f f - - a r e p robab ly t h e o n l y l o c a l i t i e s on t h e i s l a n d t h a t a r e s t i l l r e g u l a r l y used f o r n e s t i n g . Hawksbi l ls n e s t t h e r e i n v e r y s m a l l numbers, as do l e a t h e r b a c k s . The second l e a t h e r b a c k mentioned i n Caldwel l and R a t h j e n ' s paper (1969) had nes ted on t h e beach n o r t h o f Red C l i f f (A. Anslyn, p e r s . comm.) . I n terms o f p h y s i c a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , t h e s e beaches seem to be m a r g i n a l n e s t i n g h a b i t a t . I n d i a n C a s t l e Beach is p a r t l y c o b b l e . It is h e a v i l y l i t t e r e d wi th d e b r i s , and t h e s a n d i e s t s e c t i o n is f r o n t e d by emergent rocks . The dunes behind it a r e being e x t e n s i v e l y mined f o r sand. The beach d i r e c t l y n o r t h o f Red C l i f f , c a l l e d Black Bay by l o c a l r e s i d e n t s and White Bay on t h e map, is also p a r t i a l l y blocked by r e e f s . It is n e a r l y f l a t , and i ts upper reaches a r e water logged i n p l a c e s . In May 1983, it was fou led by seaborne t a r . That t u r t l e s n e s t a t t h e s e s o u t h e a s t l o c a l i t i e s a t a l l is probab ly due to t h e s c a r c i t y o f beaches i n t h e a r e a , and t o t h e i r r e l a t i v e i s o l a t i o n . Green t u r t l e s f o r a g e widely around t h e i s l a n d . They a r e caught i n n e t s o f f t h e s o u t h e a s t and southwest c o a s t s , and i n t h e v i c i n i t y o f Newcastle. S e v e r a l have borne t a g s o r i g i n a l l y p u t on a t t h e n e s t i n g beach on Aves I s l a n d , s u g g e s t i n g t h a t Nevis may be one o f t h e r e s i d e n t f e e d i n g grounds f o r t h a t p o p u l a t i o n . Hawksbi l ls a r e c a p t u r e d i n n e t s i n t h e Black Bay a r e a , a l though l e s s f r e q u e n t l y than g r e e n t u r t l e s . There is l i m i t e d in format ion a v a i l a b l e on changes i n popu l a t i on l e v e l s o f marine t u r t l e s on Nevis. A t o r t o i s e s h e l l buyer i n Charlestown r e p o r t e d a decrease i n t h e amount o f t o r t o i s e s h e l l t h a t he was a b l e to purchase from fishermen on t h e island--from 136 kg/yr i n 1975 to 91 k g h r i n 1980. Inasmuch a s hun t ing p r e s s u r e i nc r ea sed du r ing t h i s p e r i o d , a d e c l i n e i n t h e hawksbi l l popu l a t i on may have occur red . The s t a t u s o f green t u r t l e s around Nevis is unknown. A t l e a s t a dozen people on Nevis, most o f whom l i v e i n Hanley l s Road, Bath V i l l a g e , and Newcastle, f i s h f o r t u r t l e s wi th t a n g l e n e t s ( P l . 7 ) . They f i s h t u r t l e s t o suppl.ement t h e i r incomes and d ie ts ; none a r e s o l e l y dependent on t u r t l e f i s h i n g f o r t h e i r l i v e l i h o o d . Five t o 15 t u r t l e s p e r year were r epo r t ed t o be t h e average c a t c h per f isherman, a l though t h e r e is c o n s i d e r a b l e f l u c t u a t i o n from year t o yea r . Most o f t h e t u r t l e s caught a r e g reen t u r t l e s . In May 1983 t u r t l e meat was s e l l i n g f o r US$1.60/kg. The meat o f t h e g r een t u r t l e is p r e f e r r e d , bu t a l l s p e c i e s a r e ea ten . Leatherback meat is sometimes mixed wi th meat o f o t h e r s p e c i e s , and s o l d t o h o t e l r e s t a u r a n t s . When abundant , g reen t u r t l e s a r e shipped a l i v e on t h e f e r r y o r t h e " l i g h t e r s " t o t h e p u b l i c market a t B a s s e t e r r e , S t . K i t t s . The p r i c e i n 1983 was US$0.80/kg l i v e weight , US$Z.OO/kg d r e s sed . T u r t l e o i l , p r i n c i p a l l y d e r i v e d from t h e l e a the rback , is wide ly used a s a home remedy f o r co ld s . There is an a c t i v e market f o r t o r t o i s e s h e l l on Nevis. I n 1980, a buyer i n Charlestown was purchasing s h e l l from fishermen around t h e i s l a n d f o r US$16/kg and r e s e l l i n g it to a d e a l e r from S t . Lucia. The p r i c e i n 1983 ranged from $16 to $24. Other buyers from P u e r t o Rico, Dominica and Guade loupe per iod i c a l l y canvas t h e fishermen a t t h e i r homes. There is l i m i t e d market ing of t o r t o i s e s h e l l and p o l i s h e d t u r t l e c a r apaces i n l o c a l t o u r i s t shops. The ban on impor ta t ion of t u r t l e p r o d u c t s i n t o t h e United S t a t e s is s a i d t o have s h a r p l y c u r t a i l e d t h i s t r a d e i n r e c e n t y e a r s . There a r e no p r o t e c t e d marine a r e a s around t h e i s l a n d . Barbuda (17~40 IN, 61?50 'W) Barbuda, a c o r a l l imes tone i s l a n d , is l o c a t e d 41 km no r th o f Ant igua, and lies on t h e same s h a l . 1 0 ~ submarine s h e l f . The t w o i s l a n d s are p o l i t i c a l l y u n i t e d as a two-state n a t i o n w i th in t h e Commonwealth, having ga ined independence from Grea t B r i t a i n i n 1981. Barbuda has a l and a r e a o f approximately 160 km2. The o n l y s e t t l e m e n t is t h e v i l l a g e o f Codrington, s i t u a t e d on t h e e a s t c o a s t o f a l a r g e lagoon (Fig. 9 ) . An e x c e p t i o n a l l y h igh pe r cen t age o f t h e coast l i n e is composed o f sandy beaches. Cora l reefs e n c i r c l e most o f t h e pe r ime t e r o f t h e i s l a n d . An enormous s e a g r a s s bed (19,800 ha) lies o f f t h e western c o a s t (ECNAMP, 1980, 1982) . Four s p e c i e s o f s e a t u r t l e s occur a t Barbuda: t h e g reen t u r t l e , hawksb i l l , loggerhead and l e a the rback . Local names f o r t h e v a r i o u s s p e c i e s are given i n Table 1. The green t u r t l e and hawksb i l l a r e t h e most common, occu r r i ng a s j u v e n i l e s , s u b a d u l t s and a d u l t s . Green t u r t l e s are t h e more abundant o f t h e t w o , and, as e l sewhere i n t h e r eg ion , they a t t a i n g r e a t s i z e (227 kg) . Both s p e c i e s a r e p r e s e n t year-round i n foraging h a b i t a t s . Loggerheads a r e much less common than green t u r t l e s or hawksbi l l s , but a r e well known t o fishermen. Most a r e o f in te rmedia te s i z e , weighing approximately 18-45 kg. The leatherback is the l e a s t common spec i e s a t Barbuda. Green t u r t l e s and hawksbi l ls a r e the p r i n c i p a l spec i e s t h a t n e s t on the i s land . Nesting dens i ty is probably higher on Barbuda than on any o t h e r i s l and in the Leewards, bu t absolu te numbers a r e s t i l l very modest. Nesting l o c a l i t i e s a r e shown i n Figure 9. The shore from B i l l y Po in t t o The River is almost cont inuous beach, and green t u r t 1 . e ~ and hawksbi l ls a r e repor ted t o nes t a long a l l of it. Hawksbills a r e t h e predominant n e s t e r s on the beach t h a t extends from Spanish well Po in t t o Coco Poin t ( P l a t e 8 ) . Nesting probably occurs on s e v e r a l a d d i t i o n a l beaches on t h e east c o a s t , b u t was not repor ted because o f a lower l e v e l o f s u r v e i l l a n c e by fishermen. Only a few lea therbacks nes t on the i s l and each yea r . One t h a t emerged a t The River i n 1979 became entrapped by d e b r i s and d ied of exposure. Loggerheads a r e not known t o nes t . Green t u r t l e s and hawksbi l ls a r e common i n foraging h a b i t a t s a l l around the i s l and . A fisherman who sets n e t s i n s i d e the r ee f a t Welch Point ca tches only green t u r t l e s t he re . Hawksbills a r e more common on t h e r e e f s near Goat Point and Cedar Tree Po in t . Immature green t u r t l e s have been caught i n mangrove a r e a s i n s i d e t h e en t rance t o Codrington Lagoon. The Creek, a s the en t r ance a r e a is c a l l e d , is a f a v o r i t e n e t t i n g loca t ion . A j uven i l e green t u r t l e es t imated to weigh less than a kilogram was r epor t ed ly seen r e s t i n g on top o f a n e t a t t h i s l oca t ion . Opinions a s t o whether hawkshi l .1~ a l s o e n t e r t h e lagoon t o feed were con t r ad ic to ry . Loggerheads a r e s a i d t o be most common around the northwestern end o f the i s l and . The g r e a t e s t number o f t u r t l e s is caught i n n e t s during January and February. Fishermen a t t r i b u t e t h i s t o t he "groundswell" t h a t occurs during t h i s season. They be l i eve t h a t heavy s e a s and t u r b i d water f o r c e t u r t l e s t o move i n t o shallow c o a s t a l a r eas t o feed. Cato -- e t a l . (1978) d iscussed e x p l o i t a t i o n of t u r t l e s a t Barbuda. Heavy e x p l o i t a t i o n has cont inued, and poss ib ly increased , s ince t h e i r r e p o r t . Tu r t l e s a r e captured to provide meat f o r h o t e l r e s t a u r a n t s i n Antigua and Guadeloupe, and t o a l e s s e r e x t e n t , i n S t . Thomas and Puer to Rico. During the win ter season l i v e green t u r t l e s a r e flown o u t s e v e r a l t imes a week on cargo p lanes t h a t come to Barbuda t o pick up l o b s t e r s . Most of these a r e subadult and a d u l t green t u r t l e s ; j uven i l e t u r t l e s a r e kept f o r l o c a l consumption (P l . 6 ) . A r e s i d e n t who coord ina tes t h e expor t bus iness repor ted t h a t " seve ra l hundredn a r e exported annual ly. T u r t l e carapaces and t o r t o i s e s h e l l a r e a l s o exported. There is no tourism on Barbuda t o support a l o c a l souvenir t r a d e . T u r t l e s a r e caught by both n e t fishermen and l o b s t e r d i v e r s (P l . 3) . A s i n g l e fisherman may set as many a s eleven n e t s . Loggerheads a r e sometimes re leased a l i v e , when the meat of o ther p r e f e r r e d spec i e s is a v a i l a b l e . T u r t l e s a r e a l s o chased with outboard-powered boa ts and captured by hand. Small ones a r e taken i n c i d e n t a l l y i n trammel ne t s . One fisherman repor ted t h a t on s e v e r a l occasions he had found loggerheads f l o a t i n g a t sea entangled i n p i e c e s o f n e t t i n g . He associated these events with the presence of Japanese fishing boats i n the area, and was of the opinion that the entangled t u r t l e s had been cut loose from trawls and l e f t to d r i f t . Turtles and eggs are routinely taken from nesting beaches. Surveillance for tracks is carried out by boat, incidental to other fishing ac t iv i t ies . Changes in population levels of marine tu r t l e s a t Barbuda are d i f f i c u l t to assess because of changes in fishing methods and ef for t . The growth of the lobster fishery into a major industry has had significant repercussions, by increasing the number of people out on the reefs , and by providing a mechanism to transport l ive tu r t l e s to market that would not otherwise exis t . No information on the occurrence of tu r t l e s a t Palaster Reef Marine Park, off the southern t i p of the island, was gathered during the survey. Antigua (17?05'N, 61?50 'W) Antigua l i e s 64 km east of Nevis, and 64 km north of Guadeloupe. Along with its dependencies, Barbuda and Redonda, it was an Associated State linked to the United2Kingdom unt i l independence was gained in November 1981. The 280 km island has a deeply indented shoreline with numerous white sand beaches and protected bays (Fig. 10) . Coral reefs are well developed off the northern and eastern coasts; bays along the northern coast are fringed by mangroves and shelter seagrass beds (ECNAMP, 1980) . Green tur t les and hawksbills are the most common marine tu r t l e s i n Antiguan waters, the green tu r t l e being the more abundant of the two. Both occur there year-round and are represented by a wide range of s i z e classes. Leatherbacks are observed only rarely. Two informants were familiar with the loggerhead, but i ts occurrence a t Antigua needs confirmation. The hawksbill is the principal species nestifig on the island. Nesting is reported on several beaches i n the Five Islands Village area: Galley Bay, Landing Bay, Hawksbill Bay, Pinching Bay and Long Bay. Of these, Pinching Bay is reported to be the best, although even there nesting density is apparently of the order of only a few individuals per year. Deep Bay and a l l of the above bays except Long Bay were surveyed on 7 September 1980. No tracks were found, and local residents reported that no tu r t l e s had nested on those beaches so far that year. ECNAMP (1980) l i s t ed Deep Bay and a l l other west coast beaches south to Johnson's Point as t u r t l e nesting areas; the species involved was not identified. Elsewhere around Antigua, hawksbills and, more rarely, green t u r t l e s nest a t Pasture Bay on Long Island, Grape Bay on Guiana Island, and a t Long Bay, near W i l l i k i e s . Hawksbills used to nest in Dutchman's Bay, but do so only rarely today. Hawksbills have been seen mating on the outer edge of the reef near Urlings in May. Leatherbacks nest only rarely on Antigua, as reported by Bacon (1971) . One caught in a net off Jol ly Beach several years ago was believed to have been approaching to nest. Another emerged to I.ay 112 eggs on one of the beaches on the north coast on 7 April 1981. On 20 May 1981 residents identified a nesting tu r t l e as the same individual. The bays on the northern coast of Antigua provide particularly good foraging habitat for green tu r t l e s , and for th i s reason most netting is carried out i n t h i s area. Nets are also s e t a t feeding s i t e s on the western and southern coast a t Hawksbill Bay, Pinching Bay, Dark Wood, Urlings, and M t . Carmel. Green tu r t l e s and a smaller number of hawskbills are captured a t a l l loca l i t ies . Turtles also forage around the uninhabited island of Redonda, which is poli t ical ly associated with Antigua and Barbuda. The 2.6 k m 2 island l i e s 42 km southwest of Antigua, and is surrounded by deep water. During calm weather spear fishermen from Montserrat t ravel there to catch tur t les . Three green tu r t l e s (32, 32, and 42 cm i n straight carapace length) and two hawksbills (27 and 47 cm straight carapace length) were caught there i n a single day i n November 1980 by one diver. There is no nesting habitat for tu r t l e s on the rocky island. A decline has been noted i n both the number of tu r t l e s caught a t Antigua (Rebel, 1974) and i n the number of tu r t l e s nesting (Cato - e t -. a1 1978). Hawksbill nesting, i n particular, is said to have once been more frequent. There are approximately a dozen fishermen on the island who st i l l set nets for tur t les . The practice was apparently more common i n the past. Rebel (1974) gave landing s t a t i s t i c s for Antigua for the period 1943-1948. The average annual catch during these years was 67 tu r t l e s (range 40-116) . These were almost certainly tu r t l e s that had been taken i n nets. S ta t i s t ics on tu r t l e landings are no longer kept, so comparison with today's fishery is not possible. In 1980 a tu r t l e fisherman at Urlings reported that he was catching an average of 24 tu r t l e s per year, most of which were green tu r t l e s . A t Willikies, a fisherman reported catching 50 tu r t l e s i n 1978, and a to ta l of 20 (16 green tur t les , 4 hawksbills) between October 1979 and late April 1980. As elsewhere i n the region, tu r t l e s are caught to an increasing extent by spearfishermen who are diving for lobsters, reef f ish and conch. A large percentage of the t u r t l e meat available on the island is sold under contract by the fishermen to hotal restaurants. Some meat is sold i n the villages a t US$0.80/kg. Tortoiseshell is worked locally and is marketed i n tour is t shops i n S t . John I s . It is also exported raw ( P l . 2 ) . I n 1980 the price paid to fishermen for raw shel l was ~S$12/kg. Shell buyers go direct ly to the fishermen's homes to purchase it. whole polished carapaces are sold to loca 1 souvenir shops. Because of the high value of t u r t l e products, tu r t l e s are usually captured on the nesting beach whenever they are encountered. The meat and shel l of an adult hawksbill that had been caught a t Galley Bay i n June 1979 brought the captor USS111. Residents of Five Islands Village used to hunt for tu r t l e s regularly on the beach, but they do so rarely today, presumably because so few tu r t l e s emerge. Table 3 lists e x i s t i n g and proposed pa rks a t Antigua t h a t inc lude marine a r ea s . No information on t h e occurrence o f marine t u r t l e s i n Diamond Reef Marine Park was ga thered dur ing t h e p r e s e n t survey. The park l ies approximately 4 km northwest o f t h e i s l and . The proposed park a t Guiana I s l and would inc lude a t u r t l e ne s t i ng beach, Grape Bay, as w e l l as forag ing h a b i t a t . The second proposed park is on t h e southern c o a s t , and it would a l s o inc lude a known t u r t l e forag ing a r e a . Montserrat (16O45'N, 60~15'W) The B r i t i s h colony o f Montserrat l ies i n t h e southern Leewards, 43 km souFhwest o f Antigua. It is a rugged vo lcan i c i s l a n d , approximately 100 km i n a r ea . Much o f t h e 49 km s h o r e l i n e is formed by s t e e p c l i f f s o r boulders . The only permanent beach on t h e windward ( e a s t e r n ) s i d e is a 0.6 km s t r e t c h a t Farm Bay, d i r e c t l y south o f Blackburne A i rpo r t (Fig. 11) . There a r e n ine beaches on t h e leeward coast, ranging i n length from 0.1 t o 1.4 km. A l l a r e dark vo l can i c sand excep t t h e northernmost, Rendezvous Bay, which is composed o f white c o r a l sand. Depending on t h e season , t h e r e a r e temporary sand d e p o s i t s i n pa t ches along t h e rocky c o a s t , and t h e more s u b s t a n t i a l o f t h e s e provide nes t i ng h a b i t a t f o r t u r t l e s . Seagrass beds a r e l oca t ed o f f t h e nor thern and southern extremes o f t he i s l a n d , around Bransby Poin t , and o f f Blackburne A i rpo r t (ECNAMP, 1980) . The c o a s t a l s h e l f is extremely narrow o f f t h e southern end o f t h e i s l and , t h e 90 m bathymeter l i n e being only 0.6 km o f f sho re . Small s c a t t e r e d pa tches o f r e e f a r e p re sen t a long a l l b u t t h e windward coast (ECNAMP, 1980). An a r t i f i c i a l reef was under c o n s t r u c t i o n between Isles Bay and Fox's Bay i n mid-1983. Green t u r t l e s and hawksbi l l s a r e t h e on ly marine t u r t l e s commonly found around Montserrat . Both a r e year-round r e s i d e n t s and a r e represen ted by a wide range o f s i z e c l a s s e s . Adult green t u r t l e s reach very l a r g e s i z e ; one o f f e r e d f o r s a l e i n a l o c a l g i f t shop measured 104 c m i n s t r a i g h t carapace length . Green t u r t l e s weighing a s much a s 180 kg a r e repor ted t o occur. Hawksbill ca rapaces t h a t I examined on t h e i s l a n d ranged i n s i z e from 19.5 to 84 c m i n s t r a i g h t - l i n e length . The lea therback and t h e loggerhead a r e r a r e l y encountered, e i t h e r on t h e beach o r i n t h e water. There is l i t t l e nes t i ng by marine t u r t l e s on Manserrat , presumably because o f cons t an t human a c t i v i t y on t h e i s l a n d ' s few beaches. Beaches a r e used fo r r e c r e a t i o n a l purposes , and because t h e r e a r e no n a t u r a l harbors , fishermen s t o r e t h e i r b o a t s t he re . The i n c i d e n t a l ne s t i ng t h a t does occur can be mostly a t t r i b u t e d to hawksbi l l s . MINAMP (1980) i n d i c a t e d nes t i ng sites (species not i d e n t i f i e d ) a t t h e fo l lowing leeward beaches: Rendezvous Bay, Carr 's Bay, L i t t l e Bay, So ld i e r Ghaut Bay, Old Road Bay and Isles Bay. Judging from information ga thered dur ing the p re sen t survey, t he se a r e most l i k e l y si tes o f i n c i d e n t a l hawksbi l l nes t ing . Most nes t i ng takes p l a c e a t Rendezvous Bay, one o f t h e less a c c e s s i b l e beaches on t h e i s l a n d . A n e s t d i scovered by l o c a l r e s i d e n t s a t t h i s beach on 18 February 1980 conta ined 250 eggs, and t h u s was probably made by a hawksbi l l . Hawksbills appa ren t ly s t i l l n e s t a t Old Road Bay, i n s p i t e o f heavy human usage. Three d i s o r i e n t e d hawksb i l l h a t c h l i n g s were repor ted found on t h e g o l f cou r se a d j a c e n t to t h i s beach on 17 January 1980. Some l o c a l r e s i d e n t s b e l i e v e t h a t g r e e n t u r t l e s a l s o n e s t on t h e i s l a n d , b u t no ev idence o f r e c e n t n e s t i n g was found d u r i n g t h e p r e s e n t su rvey . Bacon (1971) r e p o r t e d n e s t i n g by g r e e n t u r t l e s , a s w e l l a s h a w k s b i l l s , a t L i t t l e Bay and Isles Bay. Nes t ing by t h e l e a t h e r b a c k is e x t r e m e l y r a r e , b u t d o e s o c c u r . A s u r p r i s i n g record is t h a t o f a l e a t h e r b a c k t h a t emerged to n e s t i n May 1980 a t Whoppin Bay, a narrow, rocky beach a d j a c e n t to Plymouth. Another was r e p o r t e d to have n e s t e d y e a r s ago on t h e beach i n f r o n t o f Plymouth cemetery . T u r t l e s a r e a l s o r e p o r t e d to n e s t a t Farm Bay, b u t it is n o t known which s p e c i e s a r e invo lved . Green t u r t l e s and h a w k s b i l l s a r e r e l a t i v e l y common i n f o r a g i n g h a b i t a t s around t h e i s l a n d . One o f t h e b e s t f e e d i n g a r e a s f o r b o t h s p e c i e s is o f f t h e lower sou thwes te rn c o a s t . One s p e a r f i s h e r m a n c a u g h t seven g r e e n t u r t l e s (26.5 to 41 c m s t r a i g h t c a r a p a c e l e n g t h ) and t h r e e j u v e n i l e h a w k s b i l l s t h e r e d u r i n g September and October 1980. Larger t u r t l e s a l s o occur i n t h e same a r e a , b u t t h e y t end to s t a y i n deeper wa te r and a r e n o t u s u a l l y pursued by t h e d i v e r s . Another in fo rmant r e p o r t e d s e e i n g a g r o u p o f 12 g r e e n t u r t l e s , r ang ing i n s i z e from 10 to 30 kg, f e e d i n g nea r t h e s o u t h e r n t i p o f t h e i s l a n d . Other f o r a g i n g a r e a s around M o n t s e r r a t a r e i n d i c a t e d i n F ig . 11. A f i she rman who sets n e t s around t h e n o r t h e r n end o f t h e i s l a n d r e p o r t e d c a t c h i n g more h a w k s b i l l s t h a n g r e e n t u r t l e s . Rebel (1974) d e s c r i b e d t h e t u r t l e f i s h e r y t h a t e x i s t e d on M o n t s e r r a t i n t h e 1940 ' s . The f i s h i n g season was A p r i l to November. S i x t e e n n e t s were i n use i n 1948. During t h a t y e a r s e v e n t y t u r t l e s were landed a t Plymouth, and an unknown number i n t h e n o r t h e r n sector o f t h e i s l a n d . To a l i m i t e d e x t e n t n e t t i n g is s t i 1 . l p r a c t i c e d today i n t h e n o r t h e r n p a r t o f t h e i s l a n d . The government a p p a r e n t l y h a s d i s c o u r a g e d t h e t a k i n g o f t u r t l e s by buying t h e n e t s from t h e f i she rmen . Only a few i n d i v i d u a l s on t h e i s l a n d sti l l k n w h w to make them, and t h e s h o r t a g e h a s become a l i m i t i n g f a c t o r . To an i n c r e a s i n g e x t e n t , t u r t l e s a r e c a u g h t by young d i v e r s who u s e spea rguns . L e g i s l a t i o n r e g u l a t i n g t h e c a p t u r e o f t u r t l e s is g i v e n i n Tab le 2. T u r t l e meat is u s u a l l y s o l d p r i v a t e l y , a l t h o u g h d u r i n g t h e open s e a s o n it may b e found a t t h e p u b l i c market or i n r e s t a u r a n t s i n Plymouth. Green t u r t l e meat is p r e f e r r e d to t h a t o f o t h e r s p e c i e s . One f i she rman r e p o r t e d e x p o r t i n g small q u a n t i t i e s o f t u r t l e o i l to S t . K i t t s . There h a s a p p a r e n t l y been t r a d e i n t o r t o i s e s h e l l f o r many y e a r s . Rebel (1974) r e p o r t e d t h a t 45.5 kg, va lued a t USS96, was e x p o r t e d from M o n t s e r r a t i n 1948. The p r i c e f o r raw s h e l l i n 1980 was US$13/kg. Some is worked l o c a l l y , b u t most is e x p o r t e d raw. The p r i s o n e r s a t t h e j a i l a r e employed making t o r t o i s e s h e l l j ewe l ry t h a t is marketed a t local shops . I n 1980, t h e r e was an a c t i v e c u r i o t r a d e i n t u r t l e s . Almost e v e r y t o u r i s t shop i n Plymouth, and even some b a r s , had p o l i s h e d c a r a p a c e s o f g r e e n t u r t l e s and h a w k s b i l l s f o r sale. The c a r a p a c e o f a n 84 c m h a w k s b i l l was p r i c e d a t USS74. Most o f t h e s h e l l s f o r sale were o f j u v e n i l e or s u b a d u l t t u r t l e s . In 1983, t h i s t r a d e seemed to have a b a t e d somewhat. One shopkeeper a t t r i b u t e d t h e d e c l i n e to t h e U.S. ban on importation of t u r t l e products. Tourists were apparently better inf ormed about the law, or had heard about confiscation procedures a t U.S. entry ports. The decline i n sales was affecting local divers, who are the suppliers of the shops. One diver showed me an automobile trunk f u l l of carapaces that he had been unable to s e l l . Loss and degradation of nesting habitat are also factors affecting t u r t l e populations on Montserrat. L i t t l e Bay, one of the less disturbed beaches remaining on the island, is to be developed into a large resort hotel s i t e . Sand mining for construction purposes is being practiced a t several beaches, including Fox's Bay and Farm Bay. Mining operations a t Farm Bay have radically altered the beach profile. Whether sea tu r t l e s have been affected is not known, but they are reported to nest there. There are no protected marine areas. Guadeloupe ( 1 6 ~ 2 0 IN, 61?30 'W) Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France, includes two large islands, Grande Terre and Basse Terre (1513 k m 2 ) , and a number of smaller islands that are considered dependencies. Two of these, S t . Martin and S t . ~arthglemy, have already been considered. The others--La Desirade, Marie Galante and Les Saintes--are adjacent to Grande Terre and Basse Terre, and are treated herein (Fig. 12 ) . Beaches and important marine habitats around the various islands are mapped by ECNAMP (1980). Four species of marine tu r t l e s occur a t Guadeloupe: the green tu r t l e , hawksbill, Loggerhead, and leatherback. Olive ridleys may be occasional waifs in the area. A head and three carapaces of a f i f t h species, the olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), were seen for sale a t Basseterre, but a local origin could not be confirmed. I have seen only one live ridley (37 cm curved carapace length) i n the Lesser Antilles. I t was caught a t Case-Pilote, Martinique, in December 1978. Vernacular names for sea tu r t l e s are given in Table 1. Green tur t les and hawksbil1.s are the most cormnon species a t Guadeloupe. Both are year-round residents, and are represented by juvenile, subadult and adult s ize classes. Green tu r t l e s weighing as much as 250 kg have been captured. The carapace of a green t u r t l e measuring 112 cm in straight-l.ine length was seen for sale in Basseterre. Loggerheads are considerably less abundant than green tu r t l e s or hawksbills, but are well known to fishermen. They are seen more frequently around Grande Terre than elsewhere a t Guadeloupe. Juveniles of th i s species are rarely observed. Almost a l l of the 38 loggerheads examined on the island were of subadult size. The leatherback i s 'the least cormnon species; only hatchlings and adults have been observed. Nesting local i t ies are indicated in Figure 1 2 . Hawksbills and green tu r t l e s are the principal nesters, but neither nests in any abundance. The small i s l e t s i n Grand Cul-de-sac Marin ( I l e t 5 Fajou and I l e t Caret) are preferred nesting locations. Both species are also reported to nest i n small numbers on beaches around the north coast of Basse Terre and on I l e t Kahouanne. On rare occasions, leatherbacks have also been recorded on these beaches. One was reported to have nested a t Kahouanne i n early December 1978. Kahouanne is a French name for the loggerhead. One informant reported that loggerheads also nest on the i s l e t , but th i s seems doubtful, inasmuch as mature individuals apparently occur only rarely i n Guadeloupe waters. Turtles used to nest a t several 1.ocalities on the west coast of Basse Terre, but no longer do so. Many parts of th i s coast have been developed for tourism. There is a nesting beach on the south coast of Basse Terre a t Trois Rivieres. I n addition to green tu r t l e s and hawksbills, the leatherback is said to nest there "regularly." Few nesting beaches were identified on Grande Terre. Those a t Anse Bertrand and Port Louis were not visited during the survey. Nesting is reported on Les Saintes, La Desirade, I les de l a Petite Terre and Marie Galante, but the species involved were not identified. No specific beaches were named for the f i r s t three loca l i t ies ; on Marie Galante, nesting is reported to occur a t Ballet Beach. None of these islands was visited during the survey. Grand Cul-de-sac Marin, a sheltered area with seagrass beds and reefs, was identified a s one of the most important feeding areas for tur t les . A portion of i t , including I l e t Fajou, has been under consideration as a marine park for several years. Small green tu r t l e s and hawksbills forage on reefs off the central east coast of Basse Terre near Petit-Bourg. Foraging areas for tu r t l e s around Les Saintes and Marie Galante are also reported although specific loca l i t ies were not identified. Turtle fishermen a t Vieux-Fort travel to these islands daily to se t nets. No information was gathered about foraging areas around eastern and southern Grande Terre. There appears to have been a very definite decline in population levels of marine tu r t l e s at Guadeloupe. Fourteen out of 15 informants questioned on t h i s point considered sea tur t les to be less abundant than formerly. Only a fisheries officer considered there to have been no change in their abundance. Nesting has repcrtedly declined a t beaches near Deshaies, Capesterre and S t . Francois, and to have ceased altogether on most of the west coast of Basse Terre. Several informants could recall nesting a t Vieux-Habitants some fifteen years ago. Fishermen a t Ste. Rose, Deshaies and Vieux-Fort report that the number of tu r t l e s caught i n nets has decreased. Marine tur t les are exploited to a greater extent a t Guadeloupe than anywhere in the Lesser Antilles, with the possible exception of Martinique. Much of the exploitation is directly tied to the touris t industry. There is a tremendous trade in souvenirs of a l l kinds--polished carapaces, stuffed tu r t l e s , tortoiseshell jewelry and a r t i f ac t s , etc. The largest producer of souvenirs is the j a i l a t Basseterre, where prisoners are trained to manufacture them. The prison operates a g i f t shop that s e l l s souvenirs a t both the r e t a i l and wholesale level. I n December 1978, I was permitted to take a quick inventory of their stock. A minimum of 103 tu r t l e s (37 green tu r t l e s , 28 hawksbills, 35 loggerheads, 3 olive ridleys) was represented by the carapaces, whole stuffed specimens and dried heads that were on display or stored i n supply rooms. The guard apologized for how few tu r t l e s were on hand, explaining that a large order had just been f i l led . T u r t l e s a t t h e j a i l were s a i d t o be caught l o c a l l y , a l though t h i s p o i n t needs f u r t h e r v e r i f i c a t i o n . T u r t l e souven i r s a r e a l s o a v a i l a b l e i n many towns and v i l l a g e s (PI . 1 0 ) . In 1978, po l i shed ca r apaces were p r i c e d a t USS69-184. T o r t o i s e s h e l l is worked by l o c a l a r t i s a n s , and it is a l s o expor ted t o France. N o t a l l o f it is ob t a ined l o c a l l y . Buyers from Guadeloupe canvas i s l a n d s throughout t h e Lesser A n t i l l e s f o r raw t o r t o i s e s h e l l s c u t e s , buying them f o r a f r a c t i o n o f t h e i r r e s a l e va lue . Meat o f a l l s p e c i e s o f t u r t l e s is consumed. That o f t h e l e a the rback is even p r e f e r r e d by some r e s i d e n t s . Meat is s o l d l o c a l l y i n v i l l a g e s , a t Po in te -a -P i t re . The l e g i s l a t i o n bea r i ng on marine t u r t l e s is summarized i n Tab le 2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Primary funding f o r t h e s t udy was provided by a g r a n t from t h e U.S. Na t i ona l Marine F i s h e r i e s Se rv i ce to t h e Caribbean Conserva t ion Corpora t ion (Surveys -- o f Sea T u r t l e Popu l a t i ons and H a b i t a t s -- i n t h e Western A t l a n t i c , c o n t r a c t s 03-78-D08-0025 and NA 80-GA-C-00071, A. C a r r , P r i n c i p a l I n v e s t i g a t o r ) . Supplemental funds were provided by t h e World W i l d l i f e Fund ( P r o j e c t P1499, t h e Ecology and Conservat ion o f t h e Caribbean Hawksbill , Eretmochelys imbr i ca t a ) . The s t udy would n o t have been p o s s i b l e wi thout t h e kind and generous coopera t ion o f t h e many peop l e who shared t h e i r knowledge o f marine t u r t l e s . S e v e r a l i n d i v i d u a l s provided i n v a l u a b l e l o g i s t i c suppo r t f o r t h e f i e l d work: C l i v e Ca r ty , Mitch Har r igan , Nat Hodge, L e s l i e Richardson (Angui l l a ) ; J o Vliegen ( S t . Mart in) ; E r i c Burton and f ami ly , I r v i n g Joseph (Barbuda) ; John ~ u l i e r (Ant igua) ; J ay Blankenship, Bob Gibson, John J e f f e r s , F r ank l i n Margetson, P h i l l i p Menzes, Malcom T u i t t (Mon t se r r a t ) . Thanks a r e due my husband Pe t e r Meylan f o r h e l p i n c a r r y i n g o u t t h e f i e l d work i n Guadeloupe, and f o r suppo r t dur ing my many absences from home. K . B jornda l , J. Kaufmann, A. Carr and P. Meylan commented on v a r i o u s p a r t s o f t h e manuscr ipt . I thank B i l l Adams f o r h i s s k i l l f u l p r e p a r a t i o n o f t h e maps, and Grace R u s s e l l f o r p u t t i n g t h e manucr ipt i n f i n a l form. LITERATURE C ITED Bacon, P. R. 1971. Fur ther n e s t i n g r e c o r d s f o r s e a t u r t l e s i n t h e Caribbean. News l e t t e r , Caribbean Conservat ion Assoc i a t i on , 2 p . Bacon, P. R. 1981. The s t a t u s o f s ea t u r t l e s s t o c k s managements i n t h e Western C e n t r a l A t l a n t i c . Western Central . ~ t l a n t i c F i sh . Comm. Stud. (WXYd?) 7 : 1-38. Bond, J. 1978. De r iva t i ons and c o n t i n e n t a l a f f i n i t i e s o f A n t i l l e a n b i r d s . I n F. G i l l , ed.: Zoogeography i n t h e Caribbean. Acad. N a t . Sci . Ph i l ade lph i a . Spec. Publ. No. 1 3 : l lg - l28 . Caldwel l , D. K. and Rathjen, W. F. 1969. Unrecorded West Ind ian n e s t i n g sites o f t h e l e a the rback and hawksb i l l s e a t u r t l e s , Dermochelys c o r i a c e a and E r e t m o c h e l y s i . imbr i ca t a . Copeia 1969: 622-623. Caribbean Conservation Corporation. 1980. Survey and pre l iminary census of marine t u r t l e popula t ions i n t h e Western A t l a n t i c . Gafnesvi l le : F i n a l r epo r t t o Nat iona l Mar ine F i s h e r i e s Serv ice (Contract 03-78-D08-0025) . 88 pp. Ca r r , A. and Meylan, A. B. 1980. Ext inc t ion o r rescue f o r t he hawksbi l l? Oryx 15 (5) : 449-450. Carr , A., Meylan, A., Mortimer, J., Bjorndal , K. and Carr , T. 1982. Surveys of t h e sea t u r t l e popula t ions and h a b i t a t s i n t h e Western At l an t i c . NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-SEFC-91:l-91. Cato, J. C., Prochaska, F. J. and P r i t c h a r d , P. C. H. 1978. An a n a l y s i s of the cap tu re , marketing and u t i l i z a t i o n o f marine t u r t l e s . Gainesvi l le : A r epo r t t o t h e National Marine F i s h e r i e s Serv ice , Environmental Assessment Divis ion (Contract 01-7-042- 11283) . 119 pp. E.C.N.A.M.P. (East Caribbean Natura l Areas Management Program). 1980. Survey of Conservation P r i o r i t i e s i n t h e Lesser A n t i l l e s , Prel iminary Data Atlases: Anguil la , Antigua, Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Montserrat , Nevis, Saba, S t . ~ a r t h g l e m ~ , S t . E u s t a t i u s , S t . K i t t s , and S t . Martin. Caribbean Conservation Association/School of Nat. Res . , Univers i ty of Michigan. E.C.N.A.M.P. 1982. Survey of Conservation P r i o r i t i e s i n t h e Lesser A n t i l l e s , F i n a l r epo r t . Caribbean Conservation Associat ion. Carib. Environ. Tech. Rept. 1:l-29. Groombridge, B. 1982. The I E N Amphibia-Reptilia red da t a book, P a r t 1, Testudines, Crocodylia, Rhynchocephalia. Gland, Switzerland: IuCN. 426 pp. Hermans, J. J. 1961. Schildpadden i n hun be tekenis voor de Nederlandse An t i l l en . Caraibische Mar. Biol . I n s t . , Curacao (unpubl. r e p o r t ) : 71 pp. Rermarrec, A. 1976. Le s t a t u t des t o r t u e s dans l e s A n t i l l e s Francaises . Nouv. Agron. Antil les-Guyane 2 (2) :99-108. Meylan, A. and Mack, D. 1983. Sea t u r t l e s o f the West Ind ie s , a vanishing resource. Naturalist--On the beauty of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean. 4 (9) :5-6, 45. Rainey, W. E. and P r i t c h a r d , P. C. H. 1972. D i s t r i b u t i o n and managment of Caribbean sea t u r t l e s . Virgin I s l a n d s Ecol. Res. S t a t i o n Contr. No. 105:l-17. Rebel, T. P. 1974. Sea t u r t l e s and the t u r t l e i ndus t ry of t he West Ind ie s , F lo r ida , and the Gulf of Mexico. Coral Gables, F lor ida : Univers i ty o f Miami Press . 250 pp. Vroman, M. 1968. The marine a l g a l vege ta t ion o f S t . Martin, S t . E u s t a t i u s and Saba (Netherlands Antilles). Stud. F lora Curacao and o ther Carib. Isls. 2:l-120. Angu i l l a Green t u r t l e (Chelonia mydas) greenback St. Martin greenback St. ~arthhlemy tortue Saba st. Eustatius St. K i t t s Nev is Barbuda Antigua greenback greenback Montserrat Guadeloupe tortue verte tortue tortue blanche Hawksbill t u r t l e Leatherback t u r t l e Loggerhead t u r t l e (Eretmochelys (Dermochelys coriacea) (Caretta care t ta ) imbricata) caret caret r iver t u r t l e r iver horse trunkback lanternback river horse rubberback leathercoat batacle trunkback r iver t u r t l e r iver t u r t l e trunkback r iver t u r t l e bandor a r iver t u r t l e walava r iver t u r t l e horse t u r t l e batacle l u t h kahouanne mulatto bullhead mulatto mulatto kahouanne tor tue jaune Table 1. Vernacular names of sea t u r t l e s in the Leeward Islands. Standard English names are a lso widely used. Date of Protected Leg i s l a t i o n Species Closed Minimum Punishment Season Capture Size for Violation Anguilla 1948 a l l species 1 June-30 Sept > 9 kg F i n e s US$37 ( revised 1977) ( t u r t l e s , eggs) For fe i tu re of 1 goods, equipment St . Martin Ne t h . -none Fr . see Guade loupe St . ~ a r t h 6 l e m y see Guadeloupe Saba none St . Eus ta t ius none S t . K i t t s 1948 a l l species 1 June-30 Sept. > 9 kg F i n e l $US9 ( t u r t l e s , eggs) For fe i tu re of goods, equipment Nevis 11 11 11 11 11 Barbuda Antigua Montserrat Guadeloupe 1927 a l l but 1 June-30 Sept. > 9 kg For fe i tu re of ( revised 1962) Care t ta ( t u r t l e s , eggs) goods, equipment 11 11 11 11 11 1951 a l l species 1 June-30 Sept. > 9 kg Fine < $US18 ( t u r t l e s , eggs) ~ o r f e s u r e of goods, equipment 1979 Che lon i a 15 May-15 Sept. >60 c m Eretmochelys (Che lon i a , ca r apace Dermoche l y s Eretmochelys) length year-round (Chelonia & (Dermochelys) Eretmochelys) year-round (eggs, a l l spp.) Table 2. Legislat ion per ta in ing t o marine t u r t l e s i n the Leeward Is lands , Lesser Ant i l l e s . Anguilla S t . Martin S t . Barthglemy Saba St . Eus t a t iu s S t . K i t t s Nevis Barbuda Antigua Montserrat Guade loupe Exis t ing None None None None Jenkins Bay None None Pa la s t e r Reef Marine Park Diamond Reef Marine Park None Ilets 5 Goyaves Proposed S e a l I s l and Reserve, Sandy I s l a n d , Shoal Bay Guana Cay, Molly Beday, Hen and Chicken, Cay Bay, Man OIWar Shoal None None None southeas te rn peninsula None Codrington Lagmn Guiana I s land t o Great Bird I s l and ; F i s h e r ' s H i l l t o Proctor I s Po in t None Grand Cul-de-Sac f4ar i n Table 3. Marine parks and p ro t ec t ed a reas i n t h e Leeward I s l ands , Lesser A n t i l l e s . Source: ECNAMP 1980, 1982; A. Putney, -- i n 1 . i t t . kilometers 111111 0 5 Figure 2 . Angui l la . < ANGUILLA h J M E A D ' S BAY H+= HAWKSBILL T U R T L E ...... L + = LEATHERBACK ...... TURTLE TURTLE FORAGING AREA H+= HAWKSBILL TURTLE G+= GREEN TURTLE fc7 TURTLE FORAGING AREAS PHILIPSBURG kilometers - 0 4 MAN O'WAR ..... 0 SHOAL Figure 3 . Sain t Martin. ILE FOURCHE kilometers I I I I I 0 I 2 3 4 COLOMB Oe F i g u r e 4 . S a i n t ~ a r t h g l e r n ~ fu LA TORT COROSSOL \ k d #. < SAINT B A R T H ~ L E M Y ( GREEN CAVE OF RUM o ISLAND BAY FLAT POINT COVE BAY T S A B A THE BOTTOM BOOBY GUT BAY ?ORE POINT TUR QUARTER k i lometers 1 TLE FORAGING AREA F i g u r e 5. Saba. 0 2 JENK BAY T U R T L E FORAGING AREA I CONCORDIA EUSTATIUS CORRE C O R R E BAY ki lometers F i g u r e 6. S t . E u s t a t i u s . SANDY POINT NORTH FRIGATE NESTING SITES H+ = HAWKSBILL TURTLE L + = LEATHERBACK TURTLE G + = GREEN TURTLE TURTLE F O R A G I N G A R E A kilometers F i g u r e 7. S t . Kitts. kilometers Figure 8. Nevis. H+ HAWKSBILL TURTLE G+ GREEN T U R T L E F i g u r e 9 . Barbuda. BEACH / ANTIGUA GREEN ISLAND kilometers - 0 5 F i g u r e 10 . An t igua . NESTING SITES H + HAWKSBILL TURTLE G+ GREEN TURTLE D TURTLE FORAGING AREA BUNKUM BAY MoNTSERRAT kilometers H+ = HAWKSBILL a TURTLE FORAGING AREA Figure 11. Montserrat. POINTE A PITRF BASSE TERRE GUADELOUPE PETITE TERRE kilometers I I I I I I 0 2 0 BASSE TERRE VIEUX-FORT TROlS RlVlERES NESTING SITES H + HAWKSBlLL TURTLE MARIE G+ GREEN TURTLE GALANTE L + LEATHERBACK TURTLE + 0 TURTLE FORAGING AREA L E S SAINTES Figure 12. Guadeloupe. P I . 1. Loggerhead t u r t l e (Caretta caret ta) P I . 2 . T o r t o i s e s h e l l s c u t e s from hawksb i l l (54.5 kg) caught a t S c i l l y Cay, ~ n g u i l l a . t u r t l e (Eretmochelys imbricata) . P I . 3 . Young h a w k s b i l l t u r t l e (Eretmochelys imbricata) (5 .2 kg) c a u g h t by l o b s t e r d i v e r , Barbuda . P1. 4 . E f f e c t s o f s and min ing on n e s t i n g b e a c h , Belle T e t e , S t . K i t t s P1. 5. Immature loggerhead t u r t l e (Caretta P1. 6 . Green t u r t l e s (Chelonia mydas) a w a i t i n g caretba) , S t . Barthglemy. e x p o r t , Barbuda. P1. 7 . Drying c a r a p a c e s of h a w k s b i l l s (Eretmoehelys imbrieata) and green t u r t l e s (Chelonia mydas) c a p t u r e d i n n e t s a t Nevis. P I . 8. Nes t ing beach a t Coco P o i n t , Barbuda. P1. 9 . Rocky c l i f f s a l o n g t h e c o a s t of Saba p r o v i d e f o r a g i n g h a b i t a t f o r g r e e n t u r t l e s (CheZonia mydas) and h a w k s b i l l s (EretmocheZys imbricata) . P1. 10 . T u r t l e s b e i n g p r e p a r e d f o r s t u f f i n g a s s o u v e n i r s , C a p e s t e r r e , Guade 1 oupe .