MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of AB Sea Turtle Awareness is to ensure the protection and survival of sea turtles in Antigua and Barbuda through awareness, education and advocacy.
Debunking myths, increasing education and inspiring our younger generations to get involved in protecting Antigua’s beautiful turtles are the core of our existence. Our vision is to create awareness through school and volunteer programs thus building the advocacy needed to protect these amazing creatures and their habitats.
What We Do
Turtle Patrols
You may hear us say we’ve “Gone Turtling”, our field team is out walking the beaches to identify turtle tracks, locate nests and wait for nesting mamas. Mama sea turtles come onshore every year or up to every 3 years, depending on the species, to lay their eggs during our nesting season, March to November.
The reason we want to look out for the mamas and their nests is to collect data as well as protect them from any natural threats, because sometimes the mama just picks the wrong spot to lay her clutch (eggs), the nest can be too close to the water or it may be too shallow.
When this happens, we identify the endangered nest and then carefully pull up the eggs and relocate them to a safer spot. Other times the hatchlings may get it wrong too and come up at the wrong time of day. We want to be there when this happens so we can collect the babies and have a controlled release at the right time of day so they have the best chance of making it to the ocean on their own. It is important that they find their way to the ocean on their own this strengthens their internal GPS so that they can come back to the same beach when it is their turn to nest.
Did you know mama turtles lay multiple clutches of eggs at different intervals in their nesting season and they come back to lay their eggs at the same beach every time?
Data Collection
Data Collection is essential to the survival of the world’s sea turtles. The more we learn about them, the better we can protect them.
We collect data when the mama is laying her eggs, and we collect data from the nest when it hatches.
While a mama is laying her eggs, we need to know important information about her like her size, the location and time of her nest, how many eggs she lays, and her tag number. If she hasn’t already been tagged, we will tag her flippers so that we can keep recording her information as she keeps coming back to the same beach.
We strive to collect as much data on Antigua and Barbuda’s sea turtles as possible to contribute to the collective global research, awareness, and education of sea turtles.
School Programs
Education can change the world, and we have the most beautiful minds to teach right here in Antigua!
Our programs encourage science education to help end myths and false information about sea turtles.
We will strive to work with our youth in class and on the beach to teach them all there is to know about the sea turtles that visit our shores every year and hopefully inspire many generations of sea turtle conservationists.
