Sea Turtles Galore in the Northern Gulf of California
- Nov. 4, 2008
- Author: Paloma Valdivia, Education Coordinator, CEDO

* Click on the photos to view a larger, more detailed view of the turtles.

On October 24, 2008 the Puerto Peñasco beach was the scene of an important event – the release and satellite tagging of the first adult hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Eastern Pacífic. Named  Peñasquita after the town where she was found and released, the satellite transmitter will provide us with the first information in the region on the migratory route and nesting zones of adult hawksbills. Since that event, there have been a number of other encounters with marine turtles in Puerto Peñasco, highlighting how important this region is for these charismatic animals.

Sea turtles are migratory creatures, living their lives traveling between two important places: their nesting beaches and their feeding grounds, which can be very distant from each other. The Northern Gulf of California is primarily a feeding ground for sea turtles, yet we know that some species occasionally nest at Puerto Peñasco. In the past three years there have been reports of nestings in a number of area beaches, though, as might be expected due to the extreme climatic conditions of the region, none of these nest were successful. However in 2008 sea turtles have had lots of success, with two olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) nestings, and one black turtle (Chelonia mydas agassizii) nest reported at Playa Encanto and Playa Miramar, respectively. The baby turtles hatched the exact same day that Peñasquita was set free. When newly hatched turtles enter the sea, they begin a long voyage, carried along by the currents. This period is known as the “lost years” since we know so little about what occurs during this time. While some sea turtles have been observed in Sargassum seaweed beds in the open sea, in general, their whereabouts are  unknown. 

 
Last month, people from Playa Encanto (a beach community east of Puerto Peñasco) found a juvenile olive ridley turtle with a shell a little less than 30cm long, but unfortunately it was very sick and died. A little later, a tourist found a black turtle, also a juvenile, that stranded near Playa de Oro (a trailer park just east of Puerto Peñasco). And finally, two days later, a hawksbill turtle was found near Ejido Playa Miramar (about 20 miles east of Puerto Peñasco) – and it too was a juvenile! This turtle is recovering from a minor illness at the CETMar aquarium. After recovering, it will be released in the same place where it was found.

Until now it was not well understood just how important the Northern Gulf of California is for juvenile turtles - information crucial for worldwide efforts to protect these animals. In the Puerto Peñasco region, the beaches where nestings are observed need to be protected, but it is even more important to protect the feeding grounds in the Gulf where sea turtles spend so many formative years. Their successful reproduction depends not only on the healthy environment in there nesting sites but also in the places where they develop, like here in the Northern Gulf of California.

We can all contribute to saving the sea turtles. If you want to help, pick up trash you find along the beach, report any fishing or eating of sea turtles to the proper authorities (PROFEPA in Mexico), and let CEDO know if you find a nest or a sea turtle on the beach. Only we can prevent their extinction. 

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Click below to read more environmental news from the Northern Gulf of California, including an unprecedented move by fishing communities to give up their gillnets to save the endangered vaquita porpoise, as well as updates on the current vaquita population study.