Thousands of Sea Turtles Dead in Baja
by Alex Smith, San Francisco, California on 10.24.08
3,000 sea turtles have washed up dead on the shores of Baja, California in the last five years according to a report published by UC Santa Cruz last week. More below the fold.
The UC Santa Cruz report concluded that the North Pacific loggerhead turtles washing up in Baja are dying due to fishing activity. Turtles are accidentally caught in nets, hooks and other fishing gear. The Baja turtles are experiencing the highest stranding rates related to fishery activity in the world.
The North Pacific loggerhead travels 7,000 miles from Japan to Baja's Big Sur to feed for as many as thirty years before returning to Japan. In the past 10 years, the number of female turtles nesting in Japan has dropped by fifty to eighty percent.
Local fishermen are working with the Mexican government to protect the turtles. Together they plan to create a refuge for them in a designated "hot spot" area where most are harmed.
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Humanities ability to inflict harm on our planet and her inhabitants seems endless and unstoppable.
150 years young, dude.
That refuge has my full support.
This is just another showing on why we are just one step closer from having the entire earth taken away from us. What are we doing to protect the lives of other species? Heck we can't even protect our own species from our own harm...This is SAD!
From first hand experience I can tell you that the Mexican fishing industry routinely throws all kinds of crap overboard, mostly plastic bags, old nets, and general garbage. Baja remains incredibly pristine, but if you go to the Sonora side, the most remote beaches are literally COVERED with plastic bags thrown overboard.
It's a matter of education, simple as that. These guys have no idea they're doing anything wrong.
Very Sad, my heart breaks for these beautiful creatures who suffer for our wanton destruction.