Dear Editors,

While I am sure it is well-intentioned, as a marine biologist/conservationist and member of the IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group, I have to say that the aforementioned article is both misleading and dangerous for turtle conservation. Under no circumstances should tourists be interacting physically with turtles during the mating process, and less so with people that are untrained in sea turtle biology and ecology. While they may be removing hooks and lines from turtles, often times fishermen are not aware of best practices for doing so, and as such end up causing more harm than good; often resulting in severe internal injuries to the animal.

Tourists should always be encouraged to enjoy nature and wildlife - but from a distance. Mating male sea turtles are territorial and can be dangerous. The idea that swimming with turtles will help save them is ludicrous. I support the idea of turtle tourism as a means for raising conservation funding as well as building awareness amongst the public, but human/wildlife interaction is never recommended. These men obviously wish to do good, but lack the training and awareness to undertake this type of tourism responsibly, and this should absolutely not be promoted by your magazine.

The idea of tourism going out to see sea turtles in the water is not, in itself, bad. These men could do great things by educating tourists about the threats to sea turtles and various changes in lifestyle and habits (eating less shrimp, making smart sea food choices, using less single-use plastic, using re-useable shopping bags and avoiding plastic ones, etc). Certainly after seeing the turtles in their natural habitat, they would be much more likely to adopt these practices; that is how behavior change for conservation happens. However, they should not be interacting with and disturbing these animals in the water - as with all wildlife tourism, the mantra should always be look but don’t touch.

Alec Hutchinson
Sea turtle conservationist/marine biologist

> Read the original article in our April archive

Opinions expressed in the Voice of Nosara printed newspaper and website are not necessarily those of the Voice of Nosara, its Editors, Publisher, Board or affiliated parties. All letters and opinions are limited to 400 words, and must be signed by the author and include a passport or Identity Card number. The Newspaper has the right to edit and/or not publish letters at their discretion. Thank you.