Puerto Morelos, Q.R. — More than 100 baby sea turtles have been released into the sea at Puerto Morelos through the town’s conservation program.
The hatchlings were released at Playa Punta Brava, one of the municipality’s three main nesting areas. Mayor Laura Fernández Piña was on hand along with Rear Admiral Enrique Flores Morado, who oversaw protocol release of the newly hatched turtles.
With coordinated efforts led by the director of Ecology Nancy González, more than 1,200 sea turtle nests have been counted throughout the municipality, a figure, she notes, is likely to increase since they are barely three months into the official sea turtle nesting season.
“My administration is firmly committed to the Sea Turtle Protection and Conservation Program because with this, we contribute to the preservation of a species that is in danger of extinction and is also part of the integral task of caring for marine natural resources that are also related to our ecosystem,” she commented.
Laura Fernández, who was also accompanied by the secretary of Urban Development and Ecology Tirso Esquivel Ávila, stressed that this annual program is emblematic in the municipality.
“My appreciation and thanks to the organizations and agencies that collaborate with us such as the Arrecife National Park of Puerto Morelos, the Secretariat of Ecology and Environment and the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas, among others, as well as various sectors of society such as businessmen, hotel workers, students and volunteers in general,” he said.
Nancy González said that this year, even in the midst of the Covid-19 health emergency, various environmental dissemination and education activities have been carried out hand-in-hand with the Secretariat of Ecology for the promotion of protecting the species.
“We installed an informative stand so that citizens can learn more about this topic. We increased the signage in the nesting areas, we organized beach cleaning days, we gave online training and of course, we did day and night surveillance tours. Everything with the preventive measures established by the health authorities,” she explained.
She is asking those who live in areas near the nesting sites to be extremely careful when walking on the beach so as not to damage the nests. She also reminds people not to allows their dogs on the beaches since they dig in the sand.
She noted that in Puerto Morelos, the main arrival areas for sea turtles are Punta Caracol, Punta Petempich and Punta Brava.
