We are excited to share an #oceanconservation project we have been working on, as some of you will know, for a couple of years! We are finally ready to put our planning into action and for the first time, two Grenada foraging Green sea turtles (Chelonia Mydas) will be #satellite tagged allowing us to tag-along as they move (or don’t!) around Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique or further afield into the wider Caribbean. We have a very small but beautiful juvenile population of these endangered sea turtles that spend time along our famous Grand Anse Beach, in our Marine Parks and in our nearshore waters. Some individuals we recognize and others come and go. We have had the privilege of watching them off and on, but this will be the first time we’ll be able to monitor them in real time.
As an endangered species, Green sea turtles face countless challenges. Listed by both the IUCN and CITES, these gentle giants are fully protected in most countries (but not Grenada), and globally are suffering from population declines exacerbated by marine debris, loss of habitat, boat strikes, sargassum entanglement and ongoing fishing practices. Grenada is blessed with rich biodiversity and, for now, these peaceful ocean cruisers can periodically be found foraging the nearshore seagrass beds or sneaking in a sleep on a reef. A definite highlight for our children to see at the beach as they sneak a breath at the surface, or, a game-changer for one of our visitors to see on a snorkel, dive or from a beach lounger, bringing the magic of our lush Pure Grenada and the mysteries of our ocean environments to their holiday experience.
In a collaborative effort, local marine conservation group Ocean Spirits (@oceanspirits), supported by local sea turtle and wildlife veterinarian Dr. Kenrith Carter (@drcartervet), and with the financial support of our Eco Dive family and our lovely generous guests (@eco_dive_grenada), we will be working together to safely satellite tag two Green sea turtles. Guided by science and motivated by conservation data, we will collect the turtles’ health, biometrics, genetics and more. Our turtle research candidates will be identifiable thanks to applied metal Inconel flipper tags, a microchip and our fancy satellite tracking #wctags.
One of our two satellite-tagged turtles will be named ‘ECO’, as a thank you to the commitment our Eco Dive team and guests have made to fundraising for these tags (more than $3200 USD raised!!!). Our initial fundraising efforts have paid for the cost of the tags (yes they are fancy and expensive) and Eco Dive is committed to paying for monthly satellite time (~$100 US/month) moving forward for an initial 6 – 12 months, then with the guidance of our sea turtle conservation specialists will reassess.
But now, with the tagging date approaching we need your creativity to help us name our second Green sea turtle! Who will race ECO? Who will represent the face of our tagged Green sea turtle adventures in Grenada?
We are asking you to put your creative conservation minds to the test and suggest some names, not from finding Nemo 😉 but something Grenada 🇬🇩 related, something hopeful, something clever, something fun. We can’t wait to see what you suggest. Our marine biologists and our eco crew will pick the top 3 names and we will come back to you next week to help us vote for the winner! Send us your suggestions and stay tuned!
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If you own one of our recycled materials blue tank tops with the turtles on the front YOU have helped raise the funds for these tags. Thank you! New turtle shirt design, to continue funding conservation projects like this, is on the way and will be here for Grenada Thanksgiving. Come find us at Coyaba to get yours this season.
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