Bluefields Bay Fishermen’s Friendly Society — Jamaica (2019)

© Bluefields Bay Fishermen’s Friendly Society

The Bluefields Bay Fishermen’s Friendly Society’s (BBFFS’s) sea turtle monitoring program was established in 2006 to reduce the poaching of nesting females and their eggs. The monitoring program includes nightly patrols of Bluefields’ two main nesting beaches, tagging of nesting females, and education and outreach activities within the community. The wardens’ nightly presence at the nesting beaches provides a deterrent to poachers while also allowing them to collect data on the nesting activities taking place. Collected data are shared with the National Environment and Planning Agency, Jamaica’s environmental regulatory agency. The BBFFS will use a 2019 SWOT Grant to continue their beach monitoring efforts and improve communication and data sharing with nearby organizations.