The sea turtle nesting season has officially begun on St Eustatius.
STENAPA’s Marine Park Manager and Sea Turtle Program Coordinator, Jessica Berkel and team (Jackie Berkel and Francois Mille) found 18 green sea turtle activities over the weekend. These were beach crawls with or without successful nesting. Sometimes the turtle will return to sea if she did not find a suitable spot to dig her nest.
Why do we move the nest?
The Marine Team has used information from beach mapping exercises that are done twice a year to determine which areas of the beach are unsafe for nests. Two of these nests found were in danger of being washed out to sea by wave action. The new area will be safe from these surges and from cliff falls.
In addition, all the sea turtle nests will also be safe from compacted sand above since boulders now block vehicle access.
Photo credit: Linda Jackie Berkel
What to expect.
When relocating nests we open them one at a time, then count the number of eggs in each. The eggs are then moved to a new hole, taking care not to turn them. Green sea turtle hatchlings will emerge and start their eventful journey after approximately 50 days. 1 in 1000 hatchlings make it to adulthood and the females adults return to nest every 2 to 3 years.
Do you want to help?
Volunteers are welcomed to join in night patrols and other conservation activities. If you wish to volunteer or simply find out more about the sea turtles that visit our shores, you may contact the STENAPA office at +599 318 2884. You can also email us at research@statiapark.org.
Look out for an upcoming Marine Park Information Session on our Sea Turtle Conservation Program.
Please donate and support conservation of these Caribbean sea turtles.
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