Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST)

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You are here: Home / Support Us / Take Action / Act Responsibly

Act Responsibly

  • Don’t frighten or harass turtles at sea or on land. Approach quietly. Be respectful.
  • Don’t shine lights at turtles, overturn or ride turtles, disturb nests, or collect eggs or hatchlings.
  • Don’t purchase turtle products (menu items, jewelry, leather, cosmetics), and remember that international law prevents the transport of sea turtle parts and products across national borders.
  • Check fishing nets frequently to ensure that turtles are not accidentally caught and drowned.
  • Sea turtles must surface to breathe! Watch for them, they can be struck and killed by propeller-driven vessels, sail boats, and personal thrill-craft.
  • Because lighting can disorient egg-bearing females and their young, leading them inland and away from the sea, please turn off, shield or redirect lights so they don’t shine on the beach.
  • Avoid driving on sandy beaches. Incubating eggs can be crushed by vehicles, and tire ruts trap newborn hatchlings.
  • Don’t leave lounge chairs, sailboats, and other obstructions on nesting beaches at night.
  • Safeguard natural vegetation. Vegetation stabilizes sandy beaches, helps to protect the shoreline from erosion, and provides sheltered nesting sites.
  • Protect feeding areas by not discarding plastic or other waste at sea; never anchor on coral reefs or seagrass, or touch living coral when diving.
  • Don’t litter! Discarded cans and bottles are unsightly and can cause injury to nesting and hatching sea turtles . . . and plastic bags, mistaken for jellyfish, can make turtles sick.
  • Support management based on best practices, including maximum size limits, seasonal closures that fully encompass breeding periods, and moratoria when necessary.
  • Support sustainable non-consumptive alternatives to harvest, again based on best practices.
  • Support (and participate in!) sea turtle conservation, basic research, and long-term population monitoring.
  • Report violations of regulations that protect turtles, their eggs and young, and the habitats they depend upon for survival.
  • Contact the authorities if a sea turtle is found sick or injured.
  • Please share this information with your friends and family!

Working together to realize a future where all inhabitants of the Wider Caribbean Region, human and sea turtle alike, can live together in balance.

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