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Mexico
- Texas A&M University Press
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M EXICO boasts many miles of coastline, adjoining the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean on its eastern side, and the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez on its west. Along the Baja California peninsula, the world’s longest, olive ridley, green, loggerhead, leatherback, and hawksbill sea turtles come to nest and to feed, some from as far away as Japan and Indonesia. TheSea of Cortez, or Gulf of California, a vibrant ocean rich in food sources and habitats, attracts olive ridleys and leatherbacks, which nest on its southern beaches. Sea turtles also nest on Gulf of Mexico beaches on Mexico’s eastern coast and on those of the Caribbean along the Yucatán Peninsula and nearby islands. In Mexico, as elsewhere, sea turtles face the threat of poachers, who eat or sell turtle meat and eggs on the black market, as well as degradation of habitat and loss of nesting beaches from coastal development. One of their biggest threats comes from fishing gear; sea turtles become entangled in fishing nets, trawls, and longlines and drown or sustain injuries that interfere with their ability to swim, eat, or reproduce. • Baja California Sur Bahía Magdalena On a secluded stretch of Isla Magdalena, a row of tents hidden among the sand dunes serves as base camp for RED Sustainable Travel’s conservation adventures on Baja’s Pacific coast (red means both “net,” as in fishing net, and “network” in Spanish). Since 2000, local fishers and conservationists have monitored the sea turtle population in Bahía Magdalena , or Magdalena Bay, once a month, setting nets that they check every two hours for a 24-hour period to measure, weigh, and tag any turtles caught, then return them to the water. Th se data measure the effectiveness of efforts to help the endangered animals. Mexico 85 S EA TURTLE conservation efforts in northwest Mexico took off in 1998 with the formation of Grupo Tortuguero, or Turtler Group. Wallace J. Nichols and Jeff ey Seminoff, a marine ecologist and leader of the Marine Turtle Ecology and Assessment Program with the NOAA Fisheries Service, participated in its formation. This unlikely collection of fisher , scientists, conservationists, and community activists created a grassroots network that today includes communities, organizations , agencies, institutions and hundreds of individuals. Thanks to their hard work, most people living along the peninsula’s coast now understand that sea turtles are endangered and need protection. Grupo Tortuguero performs in-water population monitoring and works Grupo Tortuguero [54.163.221.133] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 23:39 GMT) 87 Mexico on nesting beach conservation, stranding assessment, reducing fishing bycatch, and carrying out research. The group’s philosophy centers on working within communities, engaging locals and empowering them as protectors of sea turtles— and supporting them in doing so. Gradually, this approach has changed centuries-old attitudes. Former poachers have become advocates for the turtles, and former fishers n w work as ecotourism guides, sea turtle researchers, and conservationists. The organization’s current field oordinator, Baja California Sur native Jesus“Chuy”Lucero, worked as a fishe man. But during a stint in Cabo Pulmo taking tourists snorkeling , diving, or sport fishin , he participated in a workshop on sea turtle conservation. Chuy then began participating in beach surveys and patrols and gradually became more involved in the organization before being named coordinator. Children, students, mothers, grandmothers, and teachers have joined in protecting the sea turtles and spreading the message of conservation. Fishers, park staff, and local community members work with Grupo Tortuguero to monitor black sea turtle populations in Guerrero Negro, Punta Abreojos, Laguna San Ignacio, Mulege, Loreto, Agua Verde, San Carlos, Lopez Mateos, El Pardito, Desemboque, Punta Chueca, and Guasave. These local teams now have more than ten years of continuous data on the turtles, showing that area bays and estuaries deserve protection as critical feeding areas. The organization’s work and research during the past 10 years also documented that small-scale local fishe ies cause much of the loggerhead sea turtle mortality in the Pacifi . Grupo Tortuguero and its partners are committed to working with government agencies and local communities to develop solutions that protect species and habitat and strengthen local economies. Many individuals work to bring together fishers he e and around the world to reduce this mortality while preserving traditional livelihoods. You can help by purchasing only fish caug t using turtle-friendly methods. On the southern tip of Baja California, local organizations such as Amigos para la Conservación de Cabo...