WMI were lead consultants for over a decade in the refinement of Cuba’s Hawksbill Turtle harvest program, improving sustainability, evidence-based management and research. Political opposition to Cuba within CITES was extreme, coming mainly from protectionist NGOs and the USA. Despite not winning support from CITES, WMI demonstrated sustainability, supported the traditional harvest, was able to reject erroneous paradigms about sea turtles with sound science, developed new technologies and analytical approaches, won political support from many nations, and helped refocus later Hawksbill Turtle research in the Caribbean on the right problems.