Turtle Hatching

They are indeed hatching. While at dinner at H2O Saturday night, the little guys were all over the beach (and the restaurant). The staff were doing a great job of helping them out towards the water. It was amazing to see them. You might try calling SEA (St. Croix Environmental) at 340-773-1989 or check their website: www.stxenvironmental.org

ummm - the hatchlings were misdirected by the lights of the establishment. This was not a good or cute situation. Please contact SEA and ask them what needs to be done in situations like this. Anyone who is close to a beach during hatching season, should not display bright lights. I know the penanlties for interfering with a leatherback hatch are airly severe - do you know what kind of turtle had nested?

Hi everyone.

Three types of sea turtles nest in St Croix: Hawksbills, Greens and Leatherbacks. Hawksbills (the smallest species) nest throughout the year (and therefore hatch throughout the year). Greens start around July and go till about November. Leatherbacks begin in mid-March and nest until about mid July. All species are federally protected endangered species in the Virgin Islands, so all carry a penalty of $10,000 per egg, adult, hatchling that is interfered with.

However, many do hatch on restaurant beaches and around private property and as a result of the lighting, get disorientated from their natural crawl to the ocean. It is considered OK to redirect those hatchlings and help them enter the water. That is not illegal. Jane is correct about turning off lights and making their beach crawl as natural as possible. It is not the ideal hatching situation, but at least people were there when it happened and helped save some turtles that might not have made it!

So, steps to take if a nest is found hatching:

1. Call 1-877-3-TURTLE. This is the direct number for the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rescue (STAR) Team who will respond. They are run by WIMARCS (West Indies Marine Animal Research and Conservation Service) a local research oriented non-profit. They are contracted by US Fish and Wildlife and DPNR to run the leatherback turtle project on Sandy Point, as well as the Green and Hawksbill project on the East End.

2. If possible, let the hatchlings get to the ocean naturally. If they are crawling across the road or into drains or are in danger, then they will need assistance getting back onto the beach. Place them about 2-3 meters (6 feet) away from the waterline so they actually crawl into the water themselves.

3. Try to ascertain the origin of the nest. Look for a small depression in the sand where the tracks all seem to come from. Mark it with a circle of small rocks or something similar so that when STAR responds, they can find that nest. Don't poke anything into the sand since there may be unhatched eggs still in the nest. Don't dig into the nest at all.

If you see a nesting adult turtle:

1. Turn off all lights.

2. Stay as far away from the turtle as possible. They can be very skittish and you don't want to disturb their natural nesting behavior.

3. Call STAR. If you reach voicemail, leave a message in regards to location of the turtle (which beach--please be specific), your name and number (so if they can't find the beach, track etc you can assist them in finding it).

Education groups to see nesting leatherbacks on Sandy Point during the summer are currently the only officially sponsored "turtle watches" on island. These are run by US Fish and Wildlife and are limited to school groups. A few nights per summer are allotted to SEA members.

Hope this helps everyone! I am a STX resident currently attending school in Miami and work for WIMARCS as a field technician when I'm on island. If you have any questions about turtles, feel free to email me and I will happily answer you.

Sorry for such a long post...

Emily
emily.weston@wimarcs.org
www.wimarcs.org