The Directorate of Public Security of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, reported that a man who had three turtle corpses and 500 eggs was detained at Playa Boca de Tomates.
According to the authorities, the sea turtles, of the olive ridley species, were captured to extract the eggs.
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The detainee was transferred to the Federal Public Ministry, the sub-directorate of Municipal Ecology and the Federal Office of Environmental Protection (Profepa) were notified so that the latter could carry out the corresponding investigation.
Since the turtles are protected and are in danger of extinction, the investigation will be conducted by Profepa with the support of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR).
The eggs were taken to an incubation pen, while the corpses were taken to the common grave for animals.
In another issue, Profepa reported that in conjunction with the Secretary of the Navy (Semar) a trip was made on the high seas, in front of the Santuario Playa Puerto Arista, Chiapas, as part of the activities to determine the death of olive ridley turtles in the area.
“The group of specialists sailed on the morning of August 31 from Puerto Chiapas, aboard the Patrol Patrol-333 PALENQUE, 50 kilometers parallel to the coastline to Puerto Arista, Tonalá, in order to register the sighting and recognition of sea turtle specimens in their natural habitat, through counting and direct observation, with a range of 100 meters away on the periphery of the vessel “.
The route covered 360 kilometers and in a range of 22 kilometers of the exclusive economic zone, with a depth of 202 meters, with which 152 live specimens of sea turtle were observed.
The specialists took samples of water at two points: 50 kilometers offshore and in front of the beaches of Puerto Arista to identify toxic microalgae, at depths of one, five and 10 meters for quantitative analysis.
Profepa also reported that there were no erratic behaviors or signs of injury, disease of dead turtle specimens, or other species that could suggest the presence of a pathogenic agent or toxic substance; nor were fishing vessels observed.
The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp), the Federal Commission of Prevention against Sanitary Risk (Cofepris); the National Commission of Fishing and Aquaculture (Conapesca), the Ministry of Environment and Natural History (Semanh) and the University of Sciences and Arts of Chiapas (Unicach).
