A leatherback sea turtle’s perspective of Canadian waters

Leatherback sea turtles have been in our oceans since the time of the dinosaurs. The Canadian Sea Turtle Network (CSTN) is a charitable organization working to conserve endangered sea turtles in Canadian waters and worldwide with the help of scientists, commercial fishermen, costal community members and the public. Leatherback turtles are the most common sea turtles found in Atlantic Canadian waters, and a primary conservation focus for the CSTN. Leatherbacks are the largest sea turtles in the world. They migrate to Canadian waters every summer from June to October to feed on jellyfish. This feast increases their weight by about 33% and fuels their migration back south to the nesting beaches in Central and South America. The CSTN focuses on both research and education to achieve our goal of conservation. Research is conducted off the coast of Nova Scotia and on the beaches in Trinidad, where approximately 60% of leatherback sea turtles found in Canadian waters go to nest. In the warmer months, the CSTN operates a kiosk on the Halifax waterfront. The Sea Turtle Centre, open and free to everyone, provides a summer home base for the CSTN's public education and will be the sight for this Nocturne project. This year the CSTN will be turning their Halifax waterfront kiosk into a microcosm of what the leatherback sea turtle sees in our waters: a buffet of jellyfish! On display will be a life-sized leatherback model, beautifully crafted in fiberglass by Doug Morse, an artist from Wolfville. The outside of the kiosk will be covered in white and light coloured jellyfish illuminated in black light. A craft table will be set up and members of the public encouraged to make a jellyfish out of paper and streamers to add to the exhibit, highlighting the alarming rate at which jellyfish can multiply. Staff members will also be on hand to answer questions about the four species of sea turtles in Canadian waters.