The Reproductive Success of the Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) at Atlantis, Paradise Island

Presented by Keisha Russel

Keisha Russel and Michelle Liu-Williamson

Atlantis, Paradise Island has displayed Green sea turtles for the past 20 years. During this time these amazing animals have matured and thrived at our facility resulting in successful reproduction. Around the world, the Green sea turtle has suffered great decline and is listed as an endangered species. The significant decrease in the population, combined with studies that estimate only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings will survive until adulthood, has spurred the Marine Aquarium team at The Atlantis to strengthen its conservation efforts for this species. Over the past several years, there has been marked improvement in the number of egg clutches and hatch rate percentages at the facility due to data collection on the species, improved infrastructure to the breeding environment and innovative techniques for the transfer and incubation of the eggs. The reproductive successes of the Green sea turtle has also provided a platform to educate the public and heighten awareness, especially to school-age children on the action steps that can be taken for the survival of this majestic resource for the Bahamas. From the data that has been collected and the observations made from the Green sea turtles at Atlantis, plans are now underway to implement a similar program to aid in the conservation efforts of another turtle species appearing on the endangered species list.