The Cayman Islands Turtle Farm is experiencing a marked increase in
the mortality rate of young turtle hatchlings and at the same time the
number of viable eggs produced by the herd is steadily diminishing.
The combined effect of the two factors is causing real concern about
the long–term outlook for the farm and its ability to satisfy local
demand for turtle meat.
Acting CEO Joey Ebanks said changes were necessary.
“It has affected our release program,” he said. “I am going to have
to eliminate it for a while and cut back on the total amount of meat we
produce for consumption.
Mr. Ebanks said he was putting together a steering committee to start a research programme to address the problem.
The Government has advised Mr. Ebanks that the farm is his number one priority, he said.
Turtle stew is the national dish and has cultural importance.
Mr. Ebanks said there are concerns that if the supply of meat
decreases enough, it could result in an increased level of turtle
poaching of the remaining wild stocks.
“What we are doing right now with our chief Scientific Officer, Joe
Parsons, is working towards developing a stronger relationship with
Gina Ebanks–Petrie at the Department of Environment,” Mr. Ebanks said.
“This is helping us put together a research team that can help us pull…
expertise from around the world that we need to increase our
production.”
Currently the shells from the turtles that are slaughtered for their
meat end up in the landfill. Mr. Ebanks said he is now taking steps to
make polished shells available once again, while at the same time
introducing a mechanism to protect wild turtles from being exploited
for this commodity.
Mr. Ebanks said shells from farm turtles would be tagged by a process approved by the Department of Environment.
“We want to ensure that the shells that we sell can be identified
and that if anyone takes turtles from the wild population, DoE can take
the necessary steps to prosecute.”
Mr. Ebanks said a method would be determined for registering and
“grandfathering in” existing shells that are currently held by members
of the public.