Sea turtles
Hawksbills nest on our island.
More than forty nests recorded at Nicholas Caye in 2026. Two unusual threats. A research permit applied for so the work can be measured properly.
A hawksbill nesting beach
Nicholas Caye, our island base inside the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve, is an active nesting beach for hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata). Hawksbill is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Green and loggerhead turtles are seen occasionally in the wider reserve, but the hawksbill is the species this work is about.
The reserve is co-managed by TIDE, the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment, in partnership with the Belize Fisheries Department. FINS supports TIDE as co-manager by generating the Nicholas Caye dataset.
What we've seen so far
Over several seasons, island staff and Willie Caal have incidentally observed more than 100 nests across Nicholas Caye, Tom Owen's Caye, Lime Caye and elsewhere in the reserve, in the course of day-to-day island operations. During the 2026 season, staff recorded more than forty nests at Nicholas Caye, logging their locations and keeping visitors away from them.
Two things stand out about why nests fail here, and neither is the usual story. Coconut roots grow into nest chambers. Nests flood from water settling in the sand and from tidal inundation. Measuring how often each happens, with standard methods, is the central aim of the work ahead.
The next step
FINS has applied to the Belize Fisheries Department for a Scientific Research Permit to run standardised monitoring at Nicholas Caye using the Belize Sea Turtle Conservation Network methodology. Willie Caal, trained in that methodology in April 2026, is Principal Investigator. Standardised monitoring begins when the permit is issued. Nicholas Caye is the single monitoring site; sightings elsewhere in the reserve remain incidental.
FINS holds a Scientific Research Permit from the Belize Fisheries Department for standardised hawksbill nesting monitoring at Nicholas Caye, following the Belize Sea Turtle Conservation Network methodology. Willie Caal is Principal Investigator. Monitoring runs through the nesting season, and results are shared with TIDE as co-manager of the reserve and with the Fisheries Department.
Watch with us
A small overnight program is in development where guests help staff stay alert through the night and raise the alarm when a turtle comes ashore. Staff do all the work with turtles and nests. Guests watch, and never handle turtles, nests, eggs or hatchlings.