This is a very serious loss for a species already indicated as "vulnerable" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
This is a very serious loss for a species already indicated as "vulnerable" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
At least 300 dead turtles have been dragged ashore on Morro Ayuta Beach in Oaxaca, on the west coast of Mexico. Early examinations suggest that they are olive turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) - a species classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. According to local authorities, the animals died by drowning after being trapped in illegal fishing nets used at sea and abandoned in the water by fishermen: it is the so-called phenomenon of ghost nets - a deadly threat not only to turtles, but to everyone. marine animals. Fishing nets are a very dangerous waste for the marine ecosystem, but very often they are voluntarily "abandoned" in the open sea by fishermen, who return to retrieve them at a later time to see what is trapped between the meshes.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the population of these turtles is dwindling at a dizzying rate, and their nests are now visible only in a few areas of the world. Tragedy within tragedy, all the dead turtles in Mexico were female specimens, who were swimming right towards the beach of Morro Ayuta to go and lay their eggs and thus give rise to a new generation of turtles.
It is not the first time that such a large number of olive turtles have been found dead in the area: as early as 2018, fishermen found several hundred reptiles trapped in their fishing nets. Mexico banned the capture of sea turtles in 1990, and severe penalties are foreseen for those who kill these animals. The authorities have announced the launch of investigations aimed at discovering those responsible for this massacre.
At least 300 sea turtles have washed up dead on a Pacific coast beach in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico.
Mexican authorities said they were likely drowned in illegal fishing nets or abandoned nets left in the ocean.
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Source: BBC
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