Minister: Tobago turtle kill not reflective of TT’s behaviour

In May two dozen turtle heads, including the protected green turtle and hawksbill, were discovered dumped in the Bon Accord Lagoon in Tobago. Rambharat commented on the incident to Sunday Newsday while attending the Eastern Horticultural Club 8th Annual Plant and Garden Show held at St Augustine Senior Secondary School.

He said that in his experience fishermen and Trinidadians generally are more sensitive to turtle conservation. He reported that he has made several trips to the North Coast during the turtle nesting season and he is “seeing signs of a change in behaviour.” He said that organisations like Nature Seekers “are doing a fantastic job” and Environmental Research Institute Charlotteville (ERIC) in Tobago is doing “excellent work”.

“So that has been one of those one off instances. I hope in Tobago that it does not grow and it does not become the behaviour in Tobago.” He said that they are doing more work in sensitising people from a conservation and a tourism point of view.

“A lot of people come to Trinidad and visit the Caroni Bird Sanctuary as something fairly unique that a country has to offer.

And turtle watching is fairly unique for us.” He said the Tobago incident was one that is not reflective of what is happening in the country.

The Environmental Management Authority had also condemned the killing of the sea turtles “despite the legal protection afforded to these endangered species with the declaration in 2014 of five species of sea turtles as ‘environmentally sensitive species’.” The five protected turtles locally are the leatherback turtle, the green turtle, the hawksbill turtle, the olive ridley turtle and the loggerhead turtle. Killing protected sea turtles could lead to a fine of one hundred thousand dollars and imprisonment for two years.