By Rebecca Regnery
The Cayman Islands Turtle Farm, a government-owned, for-profit breeding facility in the British West Indies, is working to churn up trade in its endangered green sea turtles—a market that has been illegal since 1977.
The sea turtle farm is seeking permission to sell live turtles and turtle shells to other countries and to allow tourists to purchase shells as souvenirs. Like all sea turtles, the green sea turtle (Celonian mydas) is endangered. Allowing any legal trade likely would lead to new markets for illegal trade.
The turtles are bred mainly to sell to local restaurants and to display as an attraction for cruise ship tourists. The farm's website provides an opportunity to sponsor turtles, but it offers no guarantee that the sponsorship will not be used to raise them for food. Sixty percent of the farm's turtles are slaughtered for consumption, and a token number are released into the ocean.
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UPDATE |
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 Success! The UK will not attempt to undermine sea turtle protection.
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The farm in the Cayman Islands is not acting alone in putting these vulnerable animals in a potentially more vulnerable position. It has the support of the government of the United Kingdom, which has been promoting the plan of its Caribbean territory for more than 20 years.
Pushing the Envelope
All species of sea turtles are listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which prohibits international commercial trade in these animals or their parts, with a few exceptions. A wildlife breeding operation can apply for approval to trade its products internationally, but no other sea turtle breeding facility has ever applied for this status.
The United Kingdom unsuccessfully tried to register the Cayman Islands Turtle Farm for this status in 1985 and again in 2002. To qualify, a facility must show that its founding stock was acquired legally and that its operation would benefit the conservation of green turtles in the wild. The farm failed to meet both requirements.
Now, four years later, the farm is moving ahead with its plans. In February 2006, the U.K. government approved a shipment of 20 live green sea turtles from the Cayman Islands to be displayed in the for-profit Sea Life Centre aquaria in Europe. The Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society International (HSUS/HSI) joined a coalition of 15 international conservation and animal protection organizations in condemning this shipment.
The government of Costa Rica has repeatedly provided documentation to CITES to show that the farm's founding stock was not acquired legally. It has asserted that some eggs taken from its nesting beaches to set up the breeding program at the Cayman Islands Turtle Farm were taken illegally from a natural reserve.
Captive Breeding and Welfare
Investigators have reported seeing sick and injured turtles at the farm, apparently the result of overcrowding. The public comes in close contact with these wild animals, which can be harmful to their health. The turtles' pools are shallow and do not allow them to dive as deep as they naturally would. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in the United Kingdom has stated that the facility would fail to meet standards if it were located on home soil.
Additionally, scientists have concerns about the affect this breeding facility has on sea turtles in the wild. Raising so many animals in such close quarters in an unnatural setting invites the spread of disease. Released hatchlings could, and already may have, spread diseases to the wild population. It is also unclear whether released hatchlings have been able to breed successfully in the wild, and if they have, if this has had any adverse genetic impacts on the wild population.
Methods used to slaughter turtles for their meat and shells can cause extreme suffering. Often they are sliced open or decapitated while fully conscious. Turtles have a low metabolic rate, which means it takes longer for them to die from serious injuries.
What's more, consuming sea turtle meat may also be dangerous for human health because of the presence of environmental contaminants.
What You Can Do
While we are happy to report that in September 2006 the United Kingdom announced that they would not try to register the Cayman Islands Turtle Farm as a captive breeding facility, there is still a long road ahead to improve sea turtle protections globally. Take Action to help preserve one of the endangered loggerhead sea turtles' remaining nesting sites in the Mediterranean.
