It seems that enough people complained to members of the Opposition about the recent tripling of the price of turtle meat that the Leader of the Opposition Kurt Tibbetts felt compelled to bring a Private Member’s Motion in Legislative Assembly asking that consideration be given to returning the price to what it was before.

Although we can understand why turtle stew lovers would be upset by the suddenness of the price increase, we’re not sure people understand the seriousness of the situation, both from a financial perspective and from the herd preservation perspective.

From the financial side, we are puzzled by Mr. Tibbetts’ suggestion that some of the annual government subsidy to Boatswain’s Beach/Cayman Turtle Farm be used to cover the cost of selling turtle meat for less than what it costs to produce.  Subsidies shouldn’t be seen as allotments that can be parcelled out to specific elements of an operation. Instead, they are amounts to cover the overall loss of an entity, which ideally wouldn’t be losing money in the first place.

In a time of a budget crisis, we simply cannot understand someone suggesting the Turtle Farm purposely lose more money than it has to.

In addition, the government and its entities should not be subsidising the cost of non-essential products for specific elements of society, namely turtle eaters and a couple of dozen restaurant owners. 

Beyond the financial aspects, there were other reasons why demand for turtle needed to be reduced.

The Turtle Farm’s herd was dwindling to the point that if something wasn’t done, there would have been no harvestable turtle left by the middle of next year. Such a herd depletion could jeopardise the entire existence of the Turtle Farm and the possibility of having turtle meat available for future generations.

It’s not like people can’t get turtle meat anymore; they just have to pay more for it. Maybe people who say they can’t afford the new prices can eat small-sized turtle lunches instead of the large size. Or maybe they’ll just have to eat it less often.  But to complain about the new price is not only short-sighted, it’s also really quite selfish.