Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, and Green Sea Turtle, Chelonia mydas, Nesting Census with Management Recommendations. Culebra, Puerto Rico.

Tallevast, Teresa; Morales, Rosarito; Howell, Julian

Final report submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Puerto Rico Conservation Foundation. Beaches in the Culebra, Puerto Rico archipelago were surveyed from August 1993 to February 1994 three times per week on nonconsecutive days to document hawksbill, Eretmochelys imbricata and green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas nesting activity. No green turtle nests were encountered. Sixty hawksbill activities were recorded, 68% of which occurred on beaches included in the Culebra National Wildlife Refuge. Peak nesting activity occurred between 17 October 1993 and 12 December 1993. Nest contents and hatching success were analyzed for 23 nests. Mean clutch size was 142.92 eggs, and mean hatching success was 89.34%. Various entities, both private and governmental, are striving to augment opportunities for the public to utilize and enjoy Culebra's coastal resources. Unmanaged public use of nesting and foraging areas poses major threats to nesting and foraging habitat integrity in the Culebra archipelago. Recreational boat use on holiday weekends and activities of off-island fishermen have caused degradation of habitat and sea turtle mortality. Communication and cooperation among P.R. Planning Board, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, P.R. Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, The Municipality of Culebra, P.R. Regulations and Permits Authority, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and the public is mandatory to prevent irreversible damages to Culebra's resources. Until such an effort is realized, attempts to manage public use in the archipelago will be ineffective.