Bonaire’s turtle nesting year has started.

Summertime on Bonaire indicates a new time for child sea turtles. Bonaire’s turtle nesting year started on May possibly 1st, and 10 days afterwards, the 1st nest was found out by volunteer seaside keepers on Klein Bonaire. Before this month, the to start with nest of 2021 hatched!

Bonaire has 3 primary species of turtles: hawksbill, eco-friendly, and loggerhead turtles. The hawksbill and environmentally friendly turtles can be observed year-spherical on Bonaire, even though loggerhead turtles typically take a look at for the duration of the nesting season. Hawksbill turtles tend to be the most lively and are accountable for the the greater part of nests on Bonaire.

STCB Team and beach front keepers play a important position in guarding the sea turtles.

Throughout Bonaire’s turtle nesting period, Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) personnel and volunteer seashore keepers keep track of widespread nesting destinations on Bonaire and Klein Bonaire. They search for new nests, check nest action, and retain an eye out for tracks. Since the regions are monitored on a regular basis, STCB can easily predict when every single nest will hatch.

About 50-60 times right after the nest is laid, the baby sea turtles will start to hatch on their personal, crawl out of the nest, and head to the sea. When the volunteer beach front keepers or staff notice the action, they will return to excavate and aid trapped hatchlings out of the nests. The more help from STCB is crucial since coral can block the exit from the nest. This also lets STCB to ascertain how many sea turtles produced it successfully into the sea and if any eggs had been infertile. With the support of STCB, additional sea turtles will with any luck , endure their youth and return to Bonaire yrs later on to lay their very own nests.

The to start with hatchlings enter the sea.

Since the starting of the 2021 period, STCB has recorded 19 nests on Klein Bonaire and 18 on Bonaire.  Before this month, STCB excavated the very first hatched nest of 2021. The nest was profitable with 97 loggerhead hatchlings safely emerging from their nest on Klein Bonaire.

Each individual year, an typical of 75 nests are laid on Bonaire. Turtles tend to lay involving 3 to 6 clutches of eggs during the nesting season and each and every nest ordinarily incorporates 100 to 180 eggs, based on the species.

Recording info every time is important for very long-expression scientific studies.

All over the yr, STCB collects important information in different means to continue on sea turtle investigation.  STCB uses an in-water study method to depend and detect sea turtles with the assistance of volunteers and workers.  They also use a web-capture technique to measure, weigh, tag and look at for symptoms of condition.

In the course of the nesting season, STCB data information about sea turtle nests on Bonaire and Klein Bonaire. The facts is employed to demonstrate secure long-phrase nesting developments for hawksbill, eco-friendly, and loggerhead turtles on Bonaire. In excess of the decades, 1000’s of endangered sea turtle hatchlings manufactured it properly to the sea because of to STCB’s nest adoption system.

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(Supply:  STCB)


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Portrait of Tanya Deen.Tanya Deen has been dwelling in Bonaire because December 2016. She is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Teacher and enjoys underwater and chicken photography. Tanya is the Editor-in-Chief of The Bonaire Insider tourism news web site.



By Harmony