British Virgin Islands

Excerpted from:
Bräutigam, A. and K. L. Eckert. 2006. Turning the Tide: Exploitation, Trade and Management of Marine Turtles in the Lesser Antilles, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela. TRAFFIC International, Cambridge, UK.

From the 2003 Fisheries Regulations Part IV (Conservation Measures) Section 22:

(1) No person shall
(a) disturb, remove from the fishery waters, expose for sale, sell, purchase or have in his possession any turtle’s eggs;
(b) interfere with any turtle nest or turtle that is nesting;
(c) remove from the fishery waters, expose for sale, sell, purchase or have in his possession any undersized turtle or catch a leatherback turtle or loggerhead turtle on which there is a moratorium;
(d) set within 100 meters of the shores of the Virgin Islands any net, seine or other article for the purpose or with the intention of fishing for, catching or taking a turtle; and
(e) fish for, remove from the fishery waters, or at any time have in his possession, expose for sale, sell or purchase any turtle from 1st April to 30th November in every year or as otherwise stated by the Minister by notice published in the Gazette and in a newspaper circulating the Territory.
(2) In this regulation.
(a) “turtle” means the whole or any part of a turtle;
(b) “undersized” means a carapace (shell) length less than
(i) 24 inches for green turtle
(ii) 15 inches for hawksbill

Eckert, K. L., J. A. Overing, and B. B. Lettsome. 1992. Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for the British Virgin Islands. UNEP Caribbean Environment Program. CEP Technical Report No. 15. 116 pp.

Fleming, E. H. 2001. Swimming Against the Tide: Recent surveys of exploitation, trade and management of marine turtles in the Northern Caribbean. Traffic North America 161 pages.

Godley, B. J., A. C. Broderick, L. M. Campbell, S. Ranger, and P. B. Richardson. 2004. 6. An assessment of the status and exploitation of marine turtles in the British Virgin Islands. In: An assessment of the status and exploitation of marine turtles in the UK Overseas Territories in the Wider Caribbean. pp 96-123. Final Project Report for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Commonwealth Office.

Mcgowan, A. , A. C. Broderick, G. Frett, S. Gore, M. Hastings, A. Pickering, D. Wheatley, J. White, M. Witt, B. J. Godley. 2006. Down But Not Out: Marine Turtles of the British Virgin Islands. In review for Biological Conservation

McGowan, A., A. C.Broderick, C. Clubbe, S.D. Gore, G. Hilton, N.K. Woodfield and B.J. Godley, 2006. Darwin Initiative Assessment of the Coastal Biodiversity of Anegada, BVI. Final Project Report 32pp.

Official website of CFD (soon to be Department of the Environment & Fisheries)
Official website of the BVI Tourism Board
Underwater Paradise