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The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) detected the death of 150 specimens of sea turtle deaths during a tour conducted by Scammon Lagoon, located in Black Guerrero, Baja California Sur.
The agency reported that the probable cause of death of marine turtles of the species Chelonia midas agassizii was hypothermic, at the low temperatures recorded in the region by the cold front of the season.
In an area of 20 kilometers in the area known as the Auction of the lagoon area Profepa inspectors conducted the count and up information about the condition of the bodies and sought a possible source of contamination or evidence to determine the cause of death.
In a statement, explained that the turtles were found in an advanced state of decomposition, ie swollen, blown dry, so it was impossible to take samples for laboratory analysis.
It was observed that none had any kind of laceration or wound on the body, and most turtles were whole and some dismembered by scavengers such as coyotes.
According to the observed, marine specimens were several dead days as a sea turtle without life tends to submerge a period of approximately three to five days, until it begins the decomposition process, since the accumulated gases cause buoyancy of the body.
Subsequently, the tides throw the bodies blown to the beaches, where they are affected by scavengers and inclement weather conditions that preclude sampling to ensure their proper analysis.
The Profepa reported that this contingency in Scammon Lagoon, add three events mortality of marine species so far this year.
He recalled that on January 13, 14 corpses of gray whales were found plague that according to specialists of the Mexican Society of Marine Mammalogy (SOMEMMA) is not an extraordinary event with respect to records of previous years, so it was concluded that death was within a normal range for the area.
The same day another incident occurred in the area of marshes Scammon Lagoon, where 16 turtles brown turtle species were observed; The cause of death was attributed to hypothermia due to low temperatures.
The Profepa stated that the hypothesis of deaths from cold is based on that sea turtles are ectothermic, ie, need heat from their environment and energy to perform basic daily activities such as moving from one place to another and digest their food items.
A study by specialists on the causes of death of the loggerhead on the west coast of Baja California Sur refers to the death by paralyzing cold, whereby the juvenile and subadult turtles are likely to die by continuous and prolonged exposure to low temperature.
This can be commonly present in the water during the morning and can cause death especially migratory specimens.
The Profepa noted that the information collected in the field was made available to researchers from the Center for Biological Research of the Northwest (CIBNOR) to know precisely the causes of death of sea turtles in Scammon.
Finally, he noted that in Mexico nest seven of the eight species of marine turtles: white or green turtle, brown, hawksbill, olive ridley, loggerhead, olive ridley and leatherback; all are in the category of “endangered” in the Mexican Official Standard NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010.
Courtesy of Pulso
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