Cancun, Q.R. — Staff from the General Directorate of Ecology of Benito Juárez conducted a verification tour of the 50 sea turtle protection pens installed along the coastal area. The tour was made to assess damage after the recent passing of Hurricane Zeta through the northern part of the state.
Guadalupe Alcántara Mas, head of the agency, confirmed that damage was found in the structures of the pens, but the protected nests were in good condition.
“We found minimal effects such as the demolition of the cyclonic mesh and the installed shade mesh, but fortunately, the pens and nests are well after the cyclone,” said the director.
She clarified that the remains of egg shells that were reported outside the pens are from undeveloped eggs that, according to the official Mexican standard, should be buried outside the protection pens.
“The strong winds, the intense movement of the tides and waves caused the exposure of some sea turtle shells and eggs in the coastal zone. Furthermore, another result of the passing of the phenomenon is the presence of some dead offspring due to high tide movements,” she added.
The city reports to date, 11,461 nests have been protected with more than 1.3 million eggs and over 951,000 released hatchlings.
