Beach Personnel Receive Training On Sea Turtle Management
- About 50 service providers from different sectors in Nuevo Vallarta received training on how to adequately manage sea turtles under different circumstances; Nuevo Vallarta shelters some six thousand sea turtle nests a year, half of all of the nests that appear in the entire Riviera Nayarit.
The Nuevo Vallarta Turtle Camp joined forces with the Banderas Bay Trust (Fibba, by its acronym in Spanish), the Clean Beach Committee and the National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (Conanp, by its acronym in Spanish) in order to train over 50 service providers in Nuevo Vallarta regarding the care of the sea turtle under several different circumstances.
Biologist Emilio Esparza Venegas, who is in charge of the camp, updated public security guards, hotel managers, beach vendors, lifeguards and other service providers in order to clear up any disinformation caused by changes in personnel.
The objective is for these providers to know what to do in case of an emergency or other situations dealing with sea turtles, their nests, eggs and hatchlings, or if they should come across a hurt or dead specimen. This event was also undertaken in order to keep the beach certifications and the Blue Flag award given to Nuevo Vallarta.
Esparza Venegas added this was “an initiative for the greater good,” as Nuevo Vallarta becomes home to some six thousand nests per year, which represents a little over half a million eggs dropped along the 14 kilometers of beach watched over by the camp, which stretches from the Ameca River to Bucerías.
The General Wildlife Law Article 60 bis 1, clearly states “no specimen of sea turtle may be exploited for any use whether for subsistence or commerce.” The Federal Penal Code Articles 420 y 402 bis, indicate the punishment includes anywhere from two to 9 years of incarceration plus a fine of $300 to $3,000 minimum for whomever captures, harms or kills any sea turtle.
Formal complaints are valid and recommended to reduce the inappropriate use of this species. If you know of any illegal actions regarding sea turtles, please call 01 (311) 214 35 92 at the Environmental Division of the Federal Attorney’s Office (Profepa, by its Spanish acronym) in Nayarit, or contact the Nuevo Vallarta Turtle Camp at (322) 159 159 4.
The sea turtle is more than a symbol or an icon for the Riviera Nayarit. Its ecological and environmental value is in fact more important than its value as a tourist attraction. A clear example is the fact that jellyfish are the mainstay of their diet: without turtles there would be an invasion of jellyfish on our shores and no one would be safe from their sting in the water.
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