BONAIRE–With the end of 2018 in sight, Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) announced that during this year’s nesting season from May to December, 105 sea turtle nests were laid on Bonaire and Klein Bonaire, including 40 hawksbill, 39 loggerhead and 26 green turtle nests.
These nests produced a total of 10,328 hatchlings. Unfortunately, due to heavy rains in October, seven nests drowned before they were ready to hatch.
On Monday, September 11, a satellite transmitter was deployed on a green turtle named “Bonni,” right after she finished laying her nest. With this technology STCB was able to track “Bonni” in real-time during her migration to her feeding habitat, which turned out to be in the Los Roques Archipelago.
“Bonni” is a true traveller: she’s gone back and forth between Bonaire, Las Aves and Los Roques at least five times this season.
This year, STCB also captured and released 200 sea turtles during six netting capture sessions at Lac Bay. This included one juvenile hawksbill, one loggerhead and 198 green sea turtles.
“Thirty-two of these sea turtles had already been captured during previous netting sessions. One of these turtles gained a stunning 39.3 kilograms in nine years,” stated a release.
In 2018, STCB introduced several new merchandise items: bracelets, necklaces and earrings made by Artesanias Bemgbe Juabna from Colombia, bracelets and sea salt bottles by Carib Style and various paintings by Jannie Koning are now available at STCB’s office. Turtle-lovers can also buy STCB merchandise at seven vendors around Bonaire: VIP Diving, Great Adventures Bonaire (Harbour Village), Mangrove Centre, Dive Friends Bonaire Retail, Dive Inn, Delfins and Courtyard by Marriott.
“STCB would like to thank these vendors for donating their retail services, which means that 100% of the profits from every STCB item you buy go directly to sea turtle conservation.”
Scientific advisor Frank Rivera-Milán continued to analyse the transect-count, net capture and nesting data that STCB has collected over the last 15 years. In cooperation with Rivera-Milán, STCB will publish two scientific papers in 2019.
Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) is a non-governmental research and conservation organisation that has been protecting sea turtles since 1991.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/84008-stcb-looks-back-at-2018-nesting-season
View comments
Hide comments