On Jan. 19, 2008, Cuba passed legislation outlawing the harvesting of all sea turtles and their eggs. Most affected by this new law are the critically endangered hawksbill turtles throughout the Caribbean that nest and feed in Cuba.

 

Despite the market that exists for turtle eggs, meat and shells, Cuba has banned all harvesting of sea turtles for an indefinite period. The government had previously sanctioned up to 500 hawksbill turtles to be caught annually, with hopes that their shells could be sold in the future. Turtle eggs are commonly consumed in Cuba, Miami and throughout Latin America for their nutritional and supposed aphrodisiac effects. The hawksbill shell is particularly coveted and is the species most often used to make tortoise shell decorations. The practice of carving hawksbill shells, called “bekko,” has a long and prominent history in Japan, formerly Cuba’s largest market for turtle shells.

 

The international sale of hawksbill turtle products was outlawed in 1977 by CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Although both Japan and Cuba signed on to the Convention, both countries maintained a reservation on regulations concerning the hawksbill turtle. Japan announced an end to hawksbill shell imports in 1994. Cuba petitioned to downgrade the CITES classification of this species to allow regulated trade, but withdrew the bid following opposition from neighboring Caribbean countries where hawksbills nest. In 2002, Cuba lobbied for a one-time lifting of trade restrictions to allow the sale of 7,800 kg, or $4 million, of hawksbill tortoise shell reserves to Japan. This request was denied.

 

Although there is no longer a legal market for hawksbill turtle shells, international demand remains. Strict fines already exist to prevent the illegal capture and trade of turtles, and range from $15 to $200[i] in a country where the average monthly salary is $20.[ii] With help from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and financial support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Cuba will bolster its capacity to maintain the recent ban by strengthening the Office for Fisheries Inspection law enforcement group.

 

CIDA’s grant of over $400,000 will also be used to retrain turtle fishermen in economically sustainable professions in the two towns where the industry remains: Nuevitas in Camaguey province, and Cocodrilo on the Isle of Youth. Fishing fleets will also be modernized to prevent accidental injury to sea turtles, and the Center for Fisheries Research will be funded to become a main Caribbean center for research on marine turtle conservation.

 

Hawksbill turtles have only recently been recognized for their important role in maintaining the health of coral reefs. As sponge eaters, they eat the organisms that cover the reefs, allowing fish species to feed and maintain a balanced ecosystem.

 

The law will be in effect until it is “scientifically proven that the [hawksbill turtle] species is recovering,” according to Elisa Garcia, Cuban Fisheries Ministry director of regulations. The hawksbill turtle population has declined an estimated 80 percent in the past 100 years.[iii] Hawksbills, as well as green and loggerhead turtles, are threatened by hunters, loss of nesting and feeding sites, injury from fishing gear and pollution.

 

Written by: Danielle Barav

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