The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I feel compelled to address some of the points raised by Mr Andrew Allen in a letter to you last week and published on June 20th.

Mr Allen used the Bahamas Sea Turtle protection and Conservation law as an example of a foreigner-knows-best attitude that he alleges is prevalent in The Bahamas, which is simply not accurate as all the people involved in the lobby were Bahamian and with Bahamian organisations.

He unleashed a vitriolic attack on the protection laws of The Bahamas.

The Bahamas is rapidly becoming a very savvy little nation with a deep and sincere interest in the environment and conservation. Mr Ingraham had the foresight to pass the bill protecting the endangered sea turtles, and our present Prime Minister, thank goodness, is very mindful of the importance of protecting species that could well disappear off the face of the earth.

All sea turtles are at risk of extinction, some more than others, many of them swim in our waters.

Since the turtle ban there has been a proliferation of sightings. Keep in mind that turtles do not reach sexual maturity until they are at least 15 years old, some need to be older, their protection is key to their reproduction.

It is absurd to say that a “foreign oriented” group were trying to enforce their own culinary norms - what nonsense when turtle consommé was a delicacy of the rich and food connoisseurs of the world. It is not a question of enforcing one’s culinary norms, it is a question of preserving the richness or our sea for generations to come.

Furthermore, it is simply nonsense that the supporters of the turtle protection and conservation act were trying to kill an aspect of Bahamian culture. There is absolutely no truth in that. Protecting turtles is a global movement and we in The Bahamas are a cog in that movement. Turtles travel the world and return to their beaches to lay their eggs. The thousands of babies born have a very rough time of it and only a handful survive.

Eco-tourism is the tourism of today and the future, we have so much to offer our visitors, and this will only remain the case if we continue to protect what nature has given us. There are many turtle-sighting dives available around The Bahamas and the visitor loves it.

You can kill a turtle once, you can sell his meat once, but let him live and you can photograph him over and over again and make money out of it. I think it is exciting that new businesses are being created to showcase the very intelligent conservation conscience of both the PLP and the FNM. Conservation has no political boundaries; it is a matter of responsible custodianship of nature and preservation.

It is a pity that there is always somebody trying to stir the pot and cause doubt and trouble.

KIM ARANHA

Chairman Bahamas Sea Turtle Conservation Group, President of the Bahamas Humane Society.

Nassau,

June 26, 2022.