As the world marks World Turtle Day 2025 under the theme “Dancing Turtles Rock”, Antigua and Barbuda has two outstanding reason to celebrate – Tricia Lovell and Ashton Williams, the nation’s most dedicated turtle conservationists.
Together, their decades of work have turned Antigua and Barbuda into a sanctuary for endangered sea turtles including the Hawksbill, Green, and Leatherback species that return each year to nest on our beaches.
Marine biologist, Tricia Lovell, who serve as a national focal point for the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST), has been at the forefront of conservation efforts for more than 20 years now. Her work has helped shape national policy, establish turtle protection laws, and builds a stronger understanding of turtle populations across the country.
Ms. Lovell has done more than just building databases. She has built public awareness and is responsible for engaging citizens and officials at every level from government ministries to school classrooms and advocating tirelessly against illegal egg harvesting, egg poaching, and destructive beach practices. Her leadership has influenced both local attitudes and regional strategy, making her one of the most respected figures in Caribbean marine conservation.
Meanwhile, on the beaches of Jumby Bay Ashton Williams has quietly made history. As lead technician for the Jumby Bay Hawksbill Project, Williams has spent more than 30 nesting seasons tagging, monitoring, and protecting sea turtles on one of the region’s most important nesting sites.
Williams’ work, often concluded under moonlight and in silence, involves data collection, hatchling rescue, and nest protection – all essential to the survival of these critically endangered animals.
“Ashton knows every inch of the beach’” said a researcher who worked with him. “He recognizes individual turtles the way most people recognize family members.” He has also become a mentor to young conservationist and visiting scientist, proving that hand-on experience and local knowledge are invaluable tools in marine science.
Together, Lovell and Williams represent the best of conservation: policy backed by fieldwork, and science grounded in community. Their legacy is already visible – in stricter laws, healthier turtle populations, and a growing culture of environmental stewardship across Antigua and Barbuda.
This World Turtle Day, the Fisheries Division encourages all citizens to support turtle conservation by:
• Avoiding lights on nesting beaches (March – November)
• Reporting turtle sightings or disturbances to (268) 462-1372
• Never touching or interfering with nesting turtles or hatchlings
• Refusing to buy or consume turtle meat, eggs, or products
Sea turtles have been dancing across oceans for over 100 million years. Thanks to the quiet dedication of people like Tricia Lovell and Ashton Williams, they just might keep dancing for generations to come.