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Until recently, a small traditional trunk fishery had existed for generations in which each nesting season, trunk fishermen ('trunkers') awaited the arrival of nesting females, often by spending several nights at the beaches. Residents recall as many as six trunk turtles nesting per night on Tortola beaches prior to World War II (Eckert et al. 1992) and popular accounts suggest that in the 1960s it was not unusual to take two or more turtles per night. By the 1980's only a handful of nesting activities were recorded each year, and it was feared that the population would soon become extinct (Cambers & Lima 1989).

Since 1988, the Conservation and Fisheries Department of the BVI Government and dedicated volunteers, have conducted annual monitoring surveys of trunk nesting beaches. The main aim has been to determine the size of the remnant population, which has survived many years of harvesting and egg poaching. Moreover, the presence of Government officers was intended to help deter illegal taking of turtles. This report summarises these successful efforts.

The BVI consists of some forty islands and cays, with many possible trunk-nesting beaches scattered throughout the territory. From the anecdotal reports of trunkers and territory-wide monitoring initiatives, the northern beaches of Tortola (the largest island) and nearby Beef Island are known to host most of the trunk nesting activities in the BVI (Figure 1).

Figure 1. The major trunk nesting beaches on Tortola and Beef Island, BVI: Trunk Bay, Rogues Bay (Mansand Bay), Josiah's Bay, Long Bay Lambert, Little Bay Lambert and Long Bay Beef Island, Long Bay Belmont, Capoon's Bay (Little Apple Bay), and Brewer's Bay.

Prior to 1994, monitoring surveys were limited to the retrospective assessment of tracks and other signs of egg laying following the departure of the female (see Cambers & Lima 1989; Hastings 1991; Lima 1992; Morris 1990). Since 1994, additional staff has made it possible to increase efforts to locate and tag females, and to quantify and add new dimensions to education, public awareness and promotion of the tourism potential of remaining populations of sea turtles.

Logistics dictate that daytime monitoring of nesting activities by a network of volunteers is still the most efficient means to collect the majority of data, but, since 2000, every attempt has been made to locate nesting turtles during beach patrols mounted most nights of the nesting season. More comprehensive nocturnal monitoring is hindered by the difficult terrain leading to many important nesting beaches, the large number of beaches to cover, and, perhaps most importantly, the low frequency of nesting activity, which quickly dampens the enthusiasm of volunteers. Notwithstanding, nightly patrols are carried out at Long Bay Lambert, Little Bay Lambert and Josiah's Bay from March to August.

It is very clear that although the trunk nesting population in the BVI is dangerously small, it appears to be on the increase (Figure 2). From a low of three reported nesting activities in 1990, numbers have increased fairly steadily to an all time high of 63 verified nesting activities in 2001. This is a remarkable turnaround in a few years. With increasing numbers is has been possible for 17 turtles to be tagged and identified as individuals. Of these, one had previously nested in Culuebra, Puerto Rico, and five have been encountered nesting in the BVI in more than one season.

Figure 2. Number of leatherback turtle nesting activities on beaches in Tortola and Beef Island, British Virgin Islands, 1991-2001.

Although numerous factors may be responsible, changes in local legislation, in concert with increasing law enforcement, have certainly had a positive effect. The trunking tradition was curtailed with the introduction of the revised Turtle Act of 1986, which made it illegal to take turtles except during an annual period of 1 December to 31 March. The Act largely eliminated the legal trunk harvest, as most trunks nest from April to June in the BVI. However, demand for trunk oil remains high, and trunkers continually ask for exemptions to catch a turtle. Some still carry out illegal watching for the females, but very few trunk turtles have been killed in recent years. We are aware of one successful killing in 1996 and one aborted attempt in 1999. Meanwhile, despite enforcement efforts, poaching of the eggs continues to occur sporadically.

The BVI has also benefited significantly from its participation in the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST), which first provided training in sea turtle biology and management to government biologists in 1986. For the next several years WIDECAST assisted the Government, as well as non-governmental stakeholders, in the development of a national sea turtle recovery action plan (Eckert et al. 1992) which assembled everything that was known at that time. It gave impetus to comprehensive habitat surveys, data-gathering efforts in partnership with fishermen, revised legislation, enhanced public awareness (e.g., the Conservation and Fisheries Department developed a "Teacher's Package" with WIDECAST materials, including a narrated slide show, hand-outs, and games for use in classrooms throughout the territory), and noticeably increased community involvement in sea turtle conservation issues, including mitigating threats posed by beachfront lighting, sand mining, indiscriminate anchoring, and turtle and egg poaching.

With the foundation that has been laid, sustained progress has been made in research and conservation, law enforcement, standardized data collection and database management, public outreach and the involvement of youth, and even our participation in Caribbean regional issues. However, it is against the dichotomous background of a genuine cultural affinity with trunk turtles, and the profound significance that many still place on byproducts such as trunk oil, that our work must be conducted.

Besides obtaining scientific and technical information about the animal and its biology, our work seeks to change the traditional reliance on the taking of animals and replace it with the idea that organized "eco-tours" to see the trunks nesting (and the hatchlings emerge) can provide both a source of sustainable income and an opportunity for the community to interact with these ancient creatures in ways that promote their survival over the long term. A serious limiting factor to drawing visitors to the beach has been the small number of turtles that nest and the concomitant uncertainty of whether observers might ever see a turtle. Notwithstanding, it is hoped that as nesting continues to increase it will reach a level where "eco-tours" can play a significant role in helping to ensure the continued presence of trunk turtles on the beaches of the BVI.

Acknowledgements: The author would like to thank all the CFD Staff, as well as volunteers who have assisted in these efforts over the years. Special thanks are extended to Austin Freeman, Orville Phillips and Cassandra O'Neal. This manuscript was prepared with the assistance of Dr. B.J. Godley as part of the "Turtles in the UK Caribbean Overseas Territories" (TCOT) initiative, which is funded by the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Environment Fund. The manuscript was improved with the input of Dr. Karen Eckert, WIDECAST.

CAMBERS, G. & H. LIMA. 1989. Survey of Leatherback Turtle Nesting Sites in 1989. Conservation Office Technical Report Number 2, Government of British Virgin Islands 25 pp.

ECKERT, K. L., J. A. OVERING & B. B. LETTSOME. 1992. WIDECAST Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for the British Virgin Islands. CEP Technical Report No. 15. UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme, Kingston, Jamaica. xv + 116 pp.

MORRIS, A. 1990. Survey of Leatherback Turtles Nesting Sites in 1990. Conservation & Fisheries Department Technical Report Number 6, Government of British Virgin Islands 22 pp.

HASTINGS, M. 1991. Survey of Leatherback Turtles Nesting Sites in 1991. Conservation & Fisheries Department Technical Report Number 9, Government of British Virgin Islands 21pp.

LIMA, H. 1992. Survey of Leatherback Turtles Nesting Sites in 1990. Conservation & Fisheries Department Technical Report Number 16, Government of British Virgin Islands.18pp.