The Cayman Islands are a series of three islands located in the Caribbean, including Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, the largest of which is Grand Cayman.
Green Sea Turtles & the Grand Cayman Green Sea Turtle Farm
The green sea turtles of Grand Cayman are a large, slow developing species of sea turtle (full maturity not reached until roughly twenty-five years of age or older). They can grow to over five feet in length and weigh upwards of seven hundred pounds!
This species is not named for the color of its shell, but rather the color of its skin, which has a green tinge (due to a diet predominantly consisting of algae and seaweed). They are an aquatic, herbivorous* reptile and, like most animals of their genus, they lay their eggs in clutches on the beach. Green sea turtle eggs take roughly two months to incubate. "Studies indicate that the temperature of the eggs during incubation influences the sex of baby sea turtles," according to EarthTrust.org. [Tetrieved March 21, 2011 from EarthTrust.com]
As a result of the age at which these turtles reach physical maturity, it is quite difficult for them to recover in number after a substantial decline in population. That is where the Grand Cayman Green Sea Turtle Farm comes in. While the farm was initially opened to supply turtle meat to the people of the Cayman Islands, it was unable to be self-sustainable and the farm was subsequently purchased by the government shortly after it opened. Since then, the Turtle Farm has become a commercial farming as well as species conservation haven. The farm has placed more than 31, 000 endangered green sea turtles into the wild since its 1968 founding, and currently has no plans to discontinue their release program.
Due to the high numbers of released juvenile and yearling turtles in the waters surrounding the Cayman Islands, populations in the wild have substantially increased. Natives to the Cayman Islands have reported seeing many more of these turtles during dives than in previous years, and the numbers are expected to keep rising.
Commercial farming also severely reduces the instances of poaching; who wants to run the risk of getting caught catching these beauties in the wild when you can purchase their meat at the local market? This sharp decline in poaching has subsequently led to a lessening of crime in the Cayman Islands, as well.
Controversies (and Ironies) Surrounding the Grand Cayman Green Sea Turtle Farm
As you know, there are countries all over the world whose customs differ from our own. Some include the design and use of a toilet bowl or how to take a shower, while others center mainly around food; frog legs, raw fish, bull testicles and snails are all considered delicacies to somebody. In certain cultures, the eating of cows is prohibited, and in others, the eating of pigs. The hard truth is this: not all people are open minded when it comes to something deemed "different".
To be brutally honest, Westerners are still babies when it comes right down to it. Canada and the United States were the most recently established countries, and our ways are not that old. Most of our common practices were adapted from the lifestyles in which our European ancestors lived, and have only changed slightly over the years. Due to that, many people find the farming of turtles for food a rather gory idea. The reality, however, is that any food which is readily available is most likely to be harvested and eaten. And green sea turtles, in all their glory, are a readily available food source to the citizens of the Cayman Islands.
Imagine if we stopped farming chickens for their meat and eggs, just because somebody came along and told us it was "wrong". The idea is inconceivable, no? Green sea turtles are to the islands of Grand Cayman as chickens are to us.
"The Cayman Turtle Farm appears to elicit an emotional response whenever anyone discusses it ... the Turtle Farm represents both a unique wildlife-conservation project and a commercial-breeding enterprise.
Housed ... under the same roof, the two functions at times appear contradictory, which is precisely where the controversy usually arises." [retrieved March 21, 2011 (author Tim Adam) Green Sea Turtle Farm]
Real Reviews
"On a recent tour of Grand Cayman and the turtle farm, our guide explained the breeding program as well as the farming program. Only a certain number of turtles are farmed for food - they represent the younger age groups. I had trouble at first thinking the people of the island actually ate the turtles but realized that some things we consider "normal" to eat are not readily available to them. At one time the green sea turtles were killed just for their shells. I enjoyed my trip, and reading the preceding article regarding the farm." Karen Rigsby, as quoted on March 22, 2011 via Facebook.
* Only fully grown green sea turtles are 100% herbivorous. Juveniles will eat crabs, jellyfish, sea sponges and many other forms of sea dwelling invertebrates.
Sources:
Shayna Archer - Shayna is an aspiring young novelist and children's story-teller, and first time writer for Suite101. As a mother of two, the only time ...
Join the Conversation