Journal de La Réserve Naturelle Nationale de St.Martin #37

15 Eight sea turtles died in 2019 due to collisions with a boat or a jet ski. And four others were found stranded on the shore since the beginning of 2020. These num- bers concern only those turtles found on the shore and brought to the attention of the Réserve Naturelle. Howmany others may have been victims of such col- lisions at sea that went unnoticed? It is important to note that it takes 25 years for a sea turtle to reproduce and that only one in a thousand actually reaches that age. Sadly, these accidents impact mature sea turtles as well as juveniles that have not yet had the chance to reproduce. And a large number of sea turtles found on our shores show traces of fibropapillomatosis, a disease found more and more frequently in the is- land’s sea turtle population. Action CS16  Monitoring stranded sea turtles and those in distress Réserve Naturelle SAINT MARTIN éserve aturelle I I Eight sea turtles killed in 2019 • Turtle killed by a motor boat or jet ski Long Term Goal : To promote the conservation of the sea turtle