Turtle Nesting – By Kisean Joseph
Turtle Nesting Numbers Down
Early Hawksbill and Green Turtle nesting numbers have declined this season, though the Environmental Awareness Group expects activity to pick up in the coming months.
Antigua Marine Conservation Program Coordinator Joshel Wilson said patrols are now underway across Antigua, with Barbuda conducting its own separate monitoring efforts.
“We’re beginning to start the Hawksbill and Green nesting season, so patrols are going to be happening,” Wilson said. “Sadly, some of the turtles have kind of declined in their early nesting periods, but we’re hoping that it will pick up sometime later this month to the period of November.”
Wilson said the decline observed so far this season is not unusual at this stage, and numbers are typically expected to build through the coming months.
He is urging residents who walk local beaches to report any turtle activity directly to the organisation, including sightings of turtle crawls or nests.
“If you see a turtle crawl, if you see a nest or something like that, if you think that something is going to affect it, you can reach out to us,” Wilson said.
Wilson said the EAG is also expanding its data collection efforts through a new partnership with Rotary, inviting fishers, yachties and other marine users to submit citizen science reports on wildlife sightings, including turtles, sharks, dolphins and whales.
