Poaching of eggs on the nesting beaches seems 

 to be quite high for all islands and may exceed 

 70% of all nests, except in effectively protected 

 areas of Culebra and Mona Islands. 



International trade, as given in the Milliken 

 and Tokunaga report (CEE) for the s\abregion, shows 

 161,438 kg of E. imbricata shells exported to 

 Japan between 1970 and 1986. This figure 

 represents 25% of the total Japanese world imports 

 and amounts to approximately 120,476 individual 

 hawksbill turtles or 7,500 hawksbills per year 

 captured for the Japanese trade. Data to estimate 

 catch levels of other species are not available. 

 The origin of hawksbill shells which enter the 

 trade market is difficult to trace, due to 

 interaction between islands and the complications 

 of transshipment. 



WALTERS ; Subreqion Lesser Antilles 



The countries in the subregion are: U.S. 

 Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, 

 St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua-Barbuda, Montserrat, 

 Guadaloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. 

 Vincent , Barbados , Grenada . 



The presentations provided insight into the 

 status of resource conservation measures, 

 legislation, exploitation and future actions that 

 will lead to a healthier resource. In most 

 countries conservation measures have had a 

 positive impact both on the public and the fishing 

 community, and have also contributed to the 

 recovery of turtle populations. Extension of 

 closed seasons extended in many areas, and an 

 increase in size limits of many species was 

 legislated in many areas. 



The problems of sand mining, dredging, and 

 mooring were recognized. Nesting beach protection 

 was addressed. Most countries are signatories of 

 CITES, others are aware of the importance of 

 becoming a party to the convention. The need for 

 a moratorium on turtle harvest was discussed by a 

 number of countries in the subregion. The 

 countries, though limited in personnel and 

 financial resources, have an active participation 

 in the recovery of the resource. Continued 

 support from WATS through lOCARIBE would assist 



85 



