Permission requested to use information from the Barbados Sea Turtle Project

Activities to conserve endangered sea turtle populations in Barbados have been conducted by the Barbados Sea Turtle Project (BSTP) since 1987. The BSTP is a project of the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus, Barbados) working in collaboration with the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Government of Barbados. The overall goal of the WIDECAST (Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network) affiliated project is to bring about the recovery of depleted populations of sea turtles in Barbados.

This involves:

1) the application of scientifically-sound conservation measures in the field, supplemented by public education programmes and workshops;

2) the establishment of monitoring programmes to continually assess the status of the stocks and the effectiveness of the conservation measures implemented, and

3) research to improve the quality of the conservation measures implemented

The Barbados Sea Turtle Project operates a 24-hour "Turtle Hotline". Coastal property residents, staff and visitors are encouraged to report any sea turtle nesting or hatching activity to the BSTP.

BSTP is out patrolling the beaches on a nightly basis, however, we cannot possibly cover the entire island, nor can we be everywhere at the same time. Therefore, public calls are greatly appreciated and are valuable aids in conservation and research efforts.

The BSTP would like to know about all types of turtle related activities which can include: turtles on the beach nesting, turtle tracks or nest on the beach (even if the turtle is no longer present), disorientated hatchlings, hatchling tracks, exposed eggs in the sand, injured or dead turtles, poachings.

Turtle Hotline Phone Number: 230-0142

The Barbados Sea Turtle Project informs the public about sea turtle biology, conservation efforts, and research programmes. Several methods are used to promote this type of education.

- While school is in session, the BSTP makes presentations to students throughout the island

Hotel and clubs request presentations to locals and tourists interested in the environment.

- Hatchling releases are staged when rescue attempts have been made to collect and release disorientated hatchlings that have crawled their way into hotels, restaurants, beach front villas, or across a road.

- Newnewspaper articles, local television, and radio programmes are used to widely spread information about sea turtle issues.

Hatchling Release Programme
The BSTP would like to invite you to sign up for a hatchling release. Whether you live in Barbados, or are on holiday here, we will do our best to get you on the beach to see this remarkable event. The hatching season runs from mid-July through to mid-October only, where they will usually hatch between 6pm and 4am.

The BSTP tries to keep turtle events as natural as possible. Therefore, if hatchlings are making their way safely to the sea, the BSTP will NOT interfere and will allow the hatchlings to proceed on their own. However, if hatchlings travel inland due to disorientation by lights, a rescue effort is made to gather them up and to release them on a darker section of the beach where they can walk themselves into the sea.

Information compliments of Barbados Sea Turtle Project

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