Leave the turtle alone; T&T government amends act to ban turtle hunting

(Originally published October 1, 2011)


Selected beaches in Trinidad & Tobago are the few in the world where the endangered Leatherback Turtles choose to lay their eggs. However, over the years hunters prey on the huge creatures, slaughtering them and stealing their eggs.

The new People's Partnership government is Trinidad & Tobago is determined to stop the attacks on the defenceless creatures and end all turtle hunting. And in that regard has now amended the Fisheries Act.

The amendment, which cabinet has approved, seeks to protect Turtles and Turtle eggs under Section 4 Chapter 67:51 of the Act. 

Food Production Minister Vasant Bharath spoke about it on Friday when he commissioned the Claxton Bay fish landing site, one of several fishing locations his ministry is redeveloping to help people who depend on fishing for their livelihood.

The minister said the landmark piece of legislation prohibits the killing, harpooning and sale of turtles. “I wish to announce to you that earlier this week I received Cabinet approval for the amendment to the Protection of Turtle and Turtle Eggs Regulations,” Bharath said.

He read the specific regulations: “No person shall, at any time, kill, harpoon, catch or otherwise take possession of any turtle, or purchase, sell, offer or expose for sale or cause to be sold or offered for sale any turtle or turtle meat”. 

Bharath added, “As you may be aware, Trinidad and Tobago holds the unique position of having nesting populations of five of the seven species of marine turtles occurring worldwide and has one of the largest nesting populations of Leatherback turtles in the world, second only to Africa.” 

Bharath said that all turtles are regarded as critically endangered worldwide according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) to which T&T was a party. 

“What this therefore means, members of the fishing community, is that no longer can turtles be considered a “by-catch”. It is our goal to foster the sustainable use and conservation of fisheries resources, and we urge you to join us,” Bharath said.