Marine Turtle Newsletter 21:4, © 1982
Atlantic Ridley Project 1981
R. Marquez M.
Apto Postal 79-052, Col. Doctores, Mexico 7, D.F.
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Marine Turtle Newsletter 21:4, © 1982
R. Marquez M.
Apto Postal 79-052, Col. Doctores, Mexico 7, D.F.
This was the l5th year of the Mexican effort for restoring this species and the 4th year of cooperation with the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service. In 1981, 95% of the eggs laid at Rancho Nuevo were transplanted. But high tides were again a problem. In 1980 Hurricane Allen (Aug. 8-10) inundated 80 nests in the north beach corral from the June 27 arribada. Again in 1981 (15-19 June) strong NE winds, up to 18 m/sec, high seas and rainfall up to 58 mm/day flooded and killed embryos in 125 nests (13,130 eggs), representing 14% of the total laid that year. Around 40 nests were also lost to poachers or in other ways.
In 1981, 92,319 eggs from 898 nests were collected and 49,986 hatchlings from beach corrals were released and another 6562 from eggs incubated in styrofoam boxes. 2246 eggs were separated from the total collected and incubated in 22 styrofoam boxes for the Padre Island and Galveston head-starting project (see Woody, J. 1981, Marine Turtle Newsletter 19, p. 13). There was also one more nest of 60 eggs (54 hatchlings), incubated at Rancho Nuevo, that went to the head-starting project. Overall average hatch rate was 60.2%. For the beach corrals it was 58.8%, for the Rancho Nuevo styrofoam boxes 73.9% and for the Padre Island boxes 81.6%.
There were 44 emergences, solitary and grouped, between April 17 and July 4. There were 2 important arribadas: May 8, 227 nests, 213 transplanted, and June 2nd, 220 nests, 216 transplanted. Monel tags were applied to 228 turtles; of these 38 were also tagged with plastic on the front flipper. There were 37 turtles nesting twice and 3 nesting thrice. Also 55 - turtles tagged in previous years nested; 20 of these were re-tagged.
Incidental catch by shrimp trawlers in the Gulf of Mexico is the most serious problem preventing restoration of this population and stronger action by the Mexican and U.S. governments is needed.