Photo taken from: Awesomeocean.com

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent Nov 3, CMC-St. Vincent and the Grenadines will as of January 1, make it illegal to catch or kill sea turtles or disturb their nest.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves announced the planned change in the law on Tuesday at an event in Calliaqua, to the south of here , held to upgrade the fisheries facility in the town.

Under the current law, sea turtles are protected species in St Vincent, with the open season running from August 1 to February 28.

But during the open season, it is illegal to catch, sell, buy or have in one’s possession undersized turtles or their shells.

The minimum weights for sea turtles that can be caught during the open season are: leatherback turtles — 350 lbs; green turtles — 180 lbs; hawksbill turtles – 85 lbs; and loggerhead turtles — 160 lbs.

It is always illegal to interfere with the eggs and nests of sea turtles and anyone found violating these regulations is liable to a fine of up to EC$5,000.

According to Gonsalves, the government has been working with the SVG Preservation Fund to upgrade the facility that was funded by Japan under a US$4.6 million grant secured in 2014.

Gonsalves also addressed the issue of whaling as humpback whales are being killed in Bequia and pilot whales are killed in Barrouallie.

“And there is nothing inconsistent with our traditional whaling and whale watching,” Gonsalves said.

“And I know a lot of our young folk are interested not so much in the actual traditional whaling, but in whale watching, which is a legitimate activity. I think you do it in Japan too,” Gonsalves said.

The Prime Minister was address Japan’s Ambassador to the island Mistuhiko Okada who also attended the ceremony.

The Ambassador expressed appreciation to St Vincent for the “valuable cooperation” it has extended to Tokyo in International Whaling Commission (IWC) matters.

It is speculated that the fisheries facilities built by Japan in countries such as St. Vincent are payback for their support in the IWC.

According to conservationists, Japan uses its money to dominate in order to continue commercial whaling under the guise of scientific research.

But Gonsalves said he wanted to indicate to the Japanese that there is a strong conservation movement that is growing, “which means that we have to have a proper education about the sustainable use of marine resources. I want to say, and I’ll make this announcement because Cabinet has already decided that as of January the 1^st, in keeping with the mantra, no extinction in our generation, that we are imposing a complete ban on the hunting and killing of turtles and also of the eggs.”

Gonsalves said that a project for turtle watching was already being devised.

He said that the beaches between Colonaire and Black Point and up at Sandy Bay at Big Sand on St. Vincent’s north-eastern coast are two main places in St. Vincent where turtles nest.

The prime minister further said his government is doing a lot of education in schools, adding that while there is a conservation “challenge” with one specie of turtle in local waters, his government will protect all four species that live here.

However, he made it clear that he was not talking of banning traditional whaling.