Turtles, whales and dolphins… observe to understand
Although the sea turtle nesting season is drawing to a close, officially on 30 November, monitoring is still ongoing. The same applies to sightings of marine mammals. The Nature Reserve is calling on eco-volunteers, as well as all those who use the sea, to help gather information.
The turtles have been very active again over the past month, and further nesting may still take place. You can still volunteer to take part in these monitoring activities, or to start preparing now for the next season, which begins on 1 March 2027. The end of the season will also be marked by the 5th national symposium organised by ‘Groupe Tortues Marines France’, taking place from 30 November to 4 December in Pointe-à-Pitre. This conference, which brings together experts, scientists, nature reserve managers (including the Association for the Management of the Saint-Martin Nature Reserve – AGRNSM) and government representatives, aims to take stock of the actions undertaken and the status of sea turtle populations by geographical area.
Furthermore, as part of the BioWhale project, led by the EDEN-i association in partnership with Mon École Ma Baleine and the AGRNSM, with the support of the French Office for Biodiversity and the Agoa Sanctuary, the Nature Reserve is currently conducting a survey amongst sea users in Saint-Martin to gain a better understanding of practices, knowledge and observations relating to marine mammals. The aim is to gather as much information as possible via a questionnaire (which is anonymous and takes 8 minutes to complete) to gain a better understanding of the marine mammal species observed (frequency, areas, practices, needs, etc.). And even if you haven’t seen anything this year, that information is also useful… Link to the EDEN-I association’s Facebook page.
