Save the Turtles/Bahamas

[LemonShark]

Urge the Bahamas Government to Ban the Catching and Killing of Endangered Sea Turtles!

Elizabeth Burrows the manager of the Humane Society Grand Bahama and others have put together a compelling petition urging the Bahamian Government to ban the catching, possession and slaughter of Bahamian Sea Turtles.

Please look this over and sign if you agree:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/urge-t ... government -to-ban-the-catching -and-killing-of-endangered-sea-turtles

or send a letter to PM (sample letter is below):

Dear Bahamas Prime Minister , Minister of Tourism and Minister of Fisheries;

I am writing to ask you to ban the catching, possession, and slaughter of endangered sea turtles in the Bahamas. I was horrified to learn that the Bahamas Fisheries laws allow the catching and killing of certain of these turtles despite the Bahamas being a party to CITES, which lists all marine turtles as endangered or threatened. I was further horrified to learn of the usual method employed by Bahamians of keeping these turtles captive while awaiting a buyer. They are flipped upside down, rendering them helpless and unable to move, and often left in the sun for days in this manner, which results in dehydration and tremendous suffering. They are then killed by either decapitation or slitting their throat. This practice is animal cruelty as defined in the Penal Code of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Sections 223, 225, 226 and 230.

Please click here to see the rescue of 3 Loggerhead turtles on Sept. 3rd, 2007:

http://www.care2.com/c2c/photos/view/15 ... 03_sep_07/

A second photoalbum has been added to the first one, containing pictures of the second and third rescues:

http://www.care2.com/c2c/photos/view/22 ... _rescues_/

Five of the seven species of sea turtles are found in Bahamian waters; these are the Loggerhead, Green, Hawksbill, Leatherback and Kemp's Ridley turtles. While current Fisheries laws prohibit the taking of Hawksbill turtles, they allow the taking of Loggerhead and Green turtles, and do not address the Leatherback or Kemp's Ridley turtles at all. The only prohibitions imposed upon fishermen are a closed season from April 1 to July 31, and a minimum back size length of 24" for Green turtles and 30" for Loggerhead turtles. Many of these turtles were born in countries like Mexico and the United States, where effective laws and enforcement are in place to optimize their survival. It is a travesty for them to be protected in their birthplace yet when they are grown and migrate to the Bahamas they are subject to being killed.

Most of the world's developed countries recognize the threat of extinction to these magnificent, benign, gentle creatures and their importance to the seas' ecosystems, and have implemented laws aimed at their protection. There are already myriad threats to sea turtles' survival including irresponsible development, garbage and contaminated water. Protection of sea turtles is becoming a large consideration in the fast growing eco-tourism sector, and if the Bahamas continues to allow this barbaric, senseless practice, it will likely negatively affect your tourism economy.
It is reprehensible that the Bahamas is a party to CITES, yet ignores the CITES classification of sea turtles, and allows the harvesting of any of these animals.

Please stop contributing to the decline of these species by immediately banning the catching and killing of ALL sea turtles!

See also articles published in the Bahamian newspaper:
http://www.thenassauguardian.com/nation ... 684000.php

[tropical_shark]

That is sad! i hope the petition works! I have signed it and will send an email!

[solenostomus]

I signed it and copied the petition call to my blog:

http://www.fredwobus.com/2007-10-07-bahamas-seaturtles.html

Hope it helps!

[Bahamaboy]

All that you have stated is fact, and it's actually a crying shame. Yes we have a ban on the hawsbill turtle only, this is what personally led me to believe that we were doing a good thing. But I didnt know that we were breaking CITES regulation, It is very important that our minister corrects this problem immediately!

[sea turtle lover]

I signed it earlier today!