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Thank you for caring about sea turtles!
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These e-newsletters usually focus on uplifting stories, but sometimes we have difficult news to share. This is one of those times. Sadly, our team has counted more than sixty dead sea turtles on beaches in southwestern Nicaragua during this past month.
Local communities were very concerned, as were we. We immediately notified the local authorities charged with marine resources. We also looked to gather information to understand the situation further. The cause of this "die-off" was likely complex, but your support enabled us to gather clues.
The first clue was the species and condition of the animals. Most turtles found deceased were Pacific green turtles (Chelonia mydas agassizii). These turtles nest at our beaches but also migrate across the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean via a corridor known as a "swimway" to feed near the Galapagos Islands and other rich waters. This route crosses the high seas where commercial fisheries are very active, and there is limited enforcement for fisheries.
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The dead turtles appeared on beaches during a period when the ocean swell was coming from the south. Many turtle bodies were extremely bloated, indicating a long time in the water, and others had ropes or lesions on their bodies, indicating impact with fishing gear. Our team spent ten days visiting beaches to interview people who found the turtles. We couldn't attend to this crisis without your continued and thoughtful support!
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We also looked for less obvious causes of death. For example, harmful algal blooms like a "red tide" in the ocean can lead to death in green sea turtles. When sea turtles eat plants with the toxic algae or inhale toxic water, their nervous systems are impacted, and they grow weak and lethargic and can eventually drown. Usually, these turtles do not show obvious signs of lesions or impact. Many of the dead turtles we found did not show any obvious signs of injury.
Thanks to your support, the very week we found these turtles, our team was able to go out onto the ocean with researchers at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN) Managua to collect water samples to sample for red tide. The results were negative, but that does not rule out that a red tide occurred at a greater distance. Due to limited research permits, we were not able to carry out a necropsy (study of the dead animal) on the sea turtles.
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We are assessing the situation day by day and hope to know the cause behind these tragic deaths soon. Our team is working diligently to find answers to this terrible news. We are so thankful to have your support during these difficult times. Thank you for being with us during our heartbreak. Your support enables us to do what we can in these difficult situations.
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Thank you for helping us to monitor and protect sea turtles!
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Jairo Coronado first joined Paso Pacífico as a ranger 14 years ago. Your support has helped him grow into his role as coordinator of the sea turtle program!
He currently patrols Playa Brasilón, where he is protecting green, hawksbill, leatherback, and olive ridley sea turtles round the clock. Jairo's work also includes exhuming hatched nests and placing microchips on grown turtles to help monitor them.
Though it's difficult, Jairo has been on the frontlines during the discovery of the dead sea turtles. He is working diligently with other sea turtle rangers to provide live updates of the scene. Thank you for supporting his resilient work during this challenging time. We are so thankful to have Jairo on our team.
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SaveTurtles.org has joined with you in support of our sea turtles! The women of SaveTurtles.org were inspired to pursue sea turtle conservation after a series of vacations to Costa Rica where they saw the impact of the illegal turtle trade. Since then, they have worked with sea turtle lovers from around the world to raise funds for turtle conservation.
Our executive director, Dr. Sarah Otterstrom, met some of the directors at World Oceans Day and together they discussed their passion for sea turtle conservation in Central America. They committed to staying in touch and recently followed up with us, providing a grant to strengthen our turtle program. We're so thrilled to be working with them and you!
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Thank you for your support!
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At the beginning of this year, Paso Pacífico welcomed cyclist and birder Koen de Geus to visit our programs in Central America. Koen was cycling across Latin America to raise funds and awareness for bird conservation. He joined rangers who are protecting spider monkeys in eastern El Salvador and connected with Junior Rangers by cycling to the Mono Bayo Reserve in southwestern Nicaragua.
We are happy to share that he just completed his journey from Mexico to Peru and raised significant funds for the IUCN Netherlands Land Acquisition Fund. What a journey! Join us in congratulating Koen on his amazing feat. You can read all about his story on his website or follow him on Instagram to see photos of his travels.
Thank you Koen, for your incredible commitment to conservation!
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PARTNERS MAKE IT POSSIBLE
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Have you heard about our exclusive Canopy Club? You'll want to join right now to meet Dr. Kim Williams-Guillén (above right), designer of Paso Pacífico's world-famous InvestEGGator, and Karen Lacayo, a Nicaraguan turtle ranger and educator via Zoom next Tuesday!
Here's how it works. Sign up to donate monthly, and check your email before Tuesday for an email with a registration link. That's it!
Monthly donors give us support we can count on all year, and we are so grateful for these people. In our Canopy calls a few times a year, recurring donors get to hear from team members, leading scientists, and rangers about the work you make possible. Please become a new monthly donor now and reap the benefits!
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Thank you to all the photographers who contributed photos used in this e-newsletter. These include but are not limited to MigraMar, Teresa Conahan, Hal Brindley/Travel for Wildlife, Matt Dolkas, Bismarck Picado, Koen de Geus, Alexis Lemetais, and Paso Pacífico team members Jairo Coronado and Sarah Otterstrom.
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