The Fisheries Division within the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority and the SVG Preservation Fund, have launched a public awareness campaign to enlighten citizens on turtle conservation.
The campaign was launched under the theme “Save SVG’s Sea turtle, one turtle at a time”, and took place at the Fisheries Division on Wednesday, February 15, 2017.
Fisheries Officer in the Public Education Unit, Mrs Nyasha Antrobus, stated that there is a diminishing sea turtle population globally and the four species in our waters are either threatened or endangered.
Mr Reshevski Jack, Fisheries Officer in the Conservation Unit appealed to persons to desist from catching sea turtles and reiterated that anyone caught violating the regulation will be liable to a fine of up to $5,000.
Visits will be made to a number of locations including various schools across the country as part of the sensitization program to strengthen the campaign.
As of January 1, 2017, the Government implemented a total ban on the capturing and killing of all species of sea turtles, as well as disrupting nesting grounds in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
