The State Attorney’s office in Jalisco has confirmed the arrest of a male suspect in possession of 68 sea turtle eggs and one sea turtle that was dead at the time of arrest on the Rio Cuale bridge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The man is charged with ‘crimes against biodiversity’, a felony in Mexico. Sea turtles are protected under Mexican law and considered an endangered species.
Mexico’s Pacific Coast is known for its rich species of sea turtles, nearly every sea turtle species in the world can be found here. The Banderas Bay is a place where people can interact with them along the beautiful coastline and why Mexico’s protection laws have an impact on a global scale.
In 2013 Mexico passed laws offering a whole slate of new protections for sea turtle nesting grounds in the country. The new regulations extend habitat protections to “all” sea turtle nesting sites.
Previous to 2013, laws classified all sea turtle species as endangered and protected them from the harvesting of their meat, skin, shell, or eggs but did not protect nesting habitats.
