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Bahamas to stop hunting of sea turtles
Source: Agencies |
September 1, 2009, Tuesday
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SOUPS, stews and pies flavored with sea turtle meat will soon be illegal across the 700 islands of the Bahamas, environmental activists and scientists said on Sunday.
Despite opposition from many fishermen, the Bahamas has amended fisheries laws to give full protection to all sea turtles found in the Atlantic archipelago's waters by banning the harvest, possession, purchase and sale of the endangered reptiles, including their eggs.
"Young people here have never tasted turtle, but it had continued to be eaten by the older population in some of the outer islands," said Kim Aranha, a member of a Bahamian conservation group that led the campaign to protect sea turtles. "So we're really happy our work has paid off with this ban; the turtles couldn't do it themselves."
Previously, the Bahamian government permitted harvesting of all species of sea turtles except the hawksbill. Flesh had been used by restaurants and shells for tourist keepsakes despite turtles' status as endangered species.
It's impossible to gauge how many green turtles, loggerheads and other types were slaughtered each year in the Bahamas, but activists say counts of shells found in marina markets and information from fishermen indicate the haul was hefty.
Not everybody is happy with the new rules. Opponents say eating turtle meat is a local tradition. Some local fishermen - a handful of whom would regularly demand money from conservationists to free captured turtles on display at marinas - argue they should be able to catch the migrating animals.
Despite opposition from many fishermen, the Bahamas has amended fisheries laws to give full protection to all sea turtles found in the Atlantic archipelago's waters by banning the harvest, possession, purchase and sale of the endangered reptiles, including their eggs.
"Young people here have never tasted turtle, but it had continued to be eaten by the older population in some of the outer islands," said Kim Aranha, a member of a Bahamian conservation group that led the campaign to protect sea turtles. "So we're really happy our work has paid off with this ban; the turtles couldn't do it themselves."
Previously, the Bahamian government permitted harvesting of all species of sea turtles except the hawksbill. Flesh had been used by restaurants and shells for tourist keepsakes despite turtles' status as endangered species.
It's impossible to gauge how many green turtles, loggerheads and other types were slaughtered each year in the Bahamas, but activists say counts of shells found in marina markets and information from fishermen indicate the haul was hefty.
Not everybody is happy with the new rules. Opponents say eating turtle meat is a local tradition. Some local fishermen - a handful of whom would regularly demand money from conservationists to free captured turtles on display at marinas - argue they should be able to catch the migrating animals.
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