Annabelle Brooks, Haiti Ocean Project — Haiti (2019)

© Haiti Ocean Project

Haiti is possibly one of the biggest exploiters of sea turtles in the Caribbean region, yet little data exists on Haiti’s artisanal fisheries, and basic ecological data on Haiti’s sea turtle populations is also lacking. The Haiti Ocean Project is a marine conservation, education, and research organization located in southwest Haiti that educates youth, fishermen, and their communities about their marine environment. With a 2019 SWOT grant, they will study the rates of directed take and bycatch of sea turtles in the artisanal fisheries of the Nippes and Grand'Anse regions and will assess the extent of local fishers’ knowledge about sea turtles and fishery regulations. This study will help assess the scale of the threat that artisanal fisheries pose to Haitian sea turtle populations and will identify gaps in the knowledge of fishermen and the Haitian public that could be targeted by future education programs.

©Haiti Ocean Project

©Haiti Ocean Project