Since commencing our sea turtle conservation initiative in the western region of Ghana we have witnessed a slow but positive change in attitude in many coastal communities and among fishermen towards sea turtles. Education has played a key role in this attitudinal shift coupled with practical direct action to protect sea turtles.

As the first full project of its kind in the area we are happy to have gained the support of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission, local Village Chiefs, District Chiefs and many Chief Fishermen. They are fully appraised of what we are doing and have welcomed the initiative, fully aware that a project such as ours has been needed for some time. They can see the benefits to both the surrounding communities and the marine life and are very grateful that we have come along to do what we are doing.

There have been plenty of hiccups along the way and we expect more, however the progress we have made so far in the region more than makes up for any frustrations we have encountered. To succeed in the long term requires dedication and commitment from all those involved. By building a dedicated team of people from the local areas in which we work, Wildseas is ensuring that the project is both sustainable and will have the ability to grow in the future.

Coming into the peak nesting season of 2015 - 2016 we will conducting workshops for state officials and fishermen, expanding our tagging and safe release program, reaching out to more schools, investigating and documenting Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing activity and taking the initial steps towards voluntary Turtle Excluder Device (TED) implementation by trawl fishermen in Takoradi / Sekondi. We are currently in the process of recruiting local fishing community youth for nightly anti poaching beach patrols. These youth will receive full training in nest relocation and how to safely deal with any poachers they may encounter on their patrols prior to commencing their employment.

There is always something happening on the project and the best way to keep up to date is to follow our dedicated project page on facebook which is updated regularly. You can find the page here. We hope you enjoy it!