Mazatlán, Sinaloa (May 20, 2020).- The director of the Mazatlán Aquarium, Pablo Rojas Zepeda, recognized that the exploitation of turtle eggs and meat continues to take place in a clandestine way in the region, for uses and customs rather than for their commercial or protein value. Rojas Zepeda made a call on the population to report the arrival and nesting of the sea turtle, once the season begins on June 1.
He reported that the Sea Turtle Protection Program promoted by the Aquarium begins a month later, on July 1, when the massive arrival of the species is registered, in which temporary personnel are hired for its care and protection.
So far this year, seven nests with 640 protected eggs have been rescued, and 293 hatchlings have been released; the objective is to exceed last year’s figure, when 1,047 nests were registered and 85,000 hatchlings were released”, Rojas Zepeda said.
Regarding the mortality of species, he noted that this year only three cases have been reported that reached the Mazatlan beaches in a state of decomposition, but that in 2019 there were about 40 dead specimens that appeared on the beaches of Mazatlán, between June and July, with characteristics of slaughter.
The most notorious case was the discovery of dozens of sea turtle shells, in marshes of the Isla de la Piedra.
Regarding the question of whether the legal exploitation of the Golfina tortoise os an option or not, Rojas Zepeda stated: “Exploitation of any sea turtle species is totally out of the question”.
Source: OEM
The Mazatlan Post
