Hawksbill sea turtle are taken by humans, though it is illegal to hunt them in many countries. In some parts of the world, hawksbill sea turtles are eaten as a delicacy. As far back as the fifth century BC, sea turtles, including the hawksbill, were eaten as delicacies in China. Many cultures also use turtles' shells for decoration. These turtles have been harvested for their beautiful shell since Egyptian times, and the material known as tortoiseshell is normally from the hawksbill. In China, where it was known as "tai mei", the hawksbill is called the "tortoise-shell turtle", named primarily for its shell, which
Shell Beach, Guyana Shell Beach, Guyana Shell Beach, located on the Atlantic coast of Guyana in the Barima-Waini Region, near the Venezuelan border, is a nesting site for four of the eight sea turtle species - the Green, Hawksbill turtleill, Leatherback and the Olive Ridley. Shell Beach extends for approximately 145 km. Turtles used to be slaughtered for their meat and eggs but are now part of a non-governmental conservation program called the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society (GMTCS), founded by Dr. Peter Pritchard and Romeo De Freitas. Shell Beach is not formally protected, although direct and indirect conservation activities to protect the