Sea Turtle Nesting

I know that hatillo has nesting turtles .Seems that turtles nest at different times on different parts of the island . I am sure you will find a support group when you are here.

Well that's good - that's where we are headed!   Hatillo is our new home, we'll be checking the beaches for turtle tracks.

Yes I know you guys are moving to hatillo .That why I informed you that they have them there. You can find they behind the carribean cinema. Which is on the hatillo/ arecibo line on Carr 2

Sandra, I think Rincon has them as well.  Not sure where but a friend had mentioned seeing the nest.  I saw roped off areas down in Guanica, too.

So far haven't seen them in Rincon .But Rincon has many beaches .So it could be just about timing. We have explored 3/4 of the island already and weekly take several trips .So we aren't spending all of our time in Rincon. Plus my husband is100% disabled veteran so we spend lots of time at the va hospitals and we also homeschool

That is wonderful that you get to do all that exploring   Did you go to the pig roast on the beach there in Rincon on Christmas?  I've seen pictures and it looked like a lot of fun.

We had 4 invitation s for Christmas.  So we figured we should spend it with a native family .Because integrating with culture is important to us. So we passed on Rincons pig roast on the beach

I admire that!

Hello and welcome to Hatillo.  I live here,  too, and am a volunteer with a local turtle conservation group.  Volunteers walk their assigned beaches before daybreak (so volunteers must be early risers and physically fit enough to walk a couple of miles in the sand).
The season runs March through October, and  there is a meeting at the end of February. If you are interested in joining, you can try contacting the group through Facebook (Yo Amo el Tinglar) or if you send me your contact info I will pass it on to the woman that runs the group.

Glad a hatillo person is here to help. I know that they had nesting on the beaches there . Enjoy

No sign of the turtles yet.  Our reading suggests that the season is March thru June or July.

Beach patrol is very important regarding turtles and I am proud to see PR involved.

In 2014, a conservationist named Jaro Mora was killed by poachers on a beach on the Atlantic side of Costa Rica. Turtle eggs are hugely popular with the locals there for all the wrong reasons and are sold for a good buck by poachers.

Turtle conservation in CR is a sad story where thousands of turtles lay eggs each year. The only deterrent are organized donation groups that pay off the poachers which was what Mr Mora was doing do with the poachers--people with whom he was familiar with from his town--allowing them to take so many, leave so many.

CR which as you may have seen in its travel ads boasting about its world class biodiversity and incredible dedication to nature is really hypocritical is so many ways, and protecting turtle hatching, on its Pacific and Atlantic coasts, is one of its biggest flaws. Their government does nothing--zero--re: protecting the turtles.

Another example is sharks. 90% of the world has banned commercial deep sea fishing for sharks, and shark finning--the shark is killed for its dorsal fin, and then tossed back in--and exported to China and a few others for use in soup and sex powders. China deep sea vessels are allowed to penetrate inside CR waters for this very purpose. But China is CR's huge benefactor, donating or borrowing millions each year to CR, built their new national futbol stadium, builds highways, etc. CR touts itself as a democracy which it is, but with Chinese communists calling a lot of the shots.

The guy in the photo in the link below? Paul Watson? World renowned ocean environmentalist? CR has an Interpol warrant for his arrest for fighting off a Chinese long liner at sea with high pressure water hoses to keep them from fishing.

Anyway, the re-trial of the seven defendants in the murder of the turtle protector in fact starts today, 1.25.16 in Limon, CR if you care to follow it. Don't misread stories from 1.25.15--that was the date last year when the first criminal case was dismissed.

Look for the defendants to walk free.

Sea Shepherd has since named one of its ships after Mora.

http://www.ticotimes.net/2015/04/26/sea … jairo-mora

wow - that is an eye opener!   A guy killed over turtle eggs!  Any federal laws involved in this?

When I was growing up turtle meat (steaks) and turtle soup were popular, not sure what kind of turtle they were, I assume it is still popular if rare.

About three weeks ago my brother in Arroyo (southeast PR) saw baby turtles going in the wrong direction---toward the lights on land. He and some neighbors picked up the turtles and headed them toward the water.  I do not know what type they were.

Yep Sitka, over the eggs.

It's a macho thing. 

Similar to China's addiction to shark fin soup.

Supposed super-natural sexual powers.

Downing a beer with a turtle egg in the glass makes them Supermen in the bar and in the cama--in their minds.

I wonder what the do the other 9-11 months when they don't have eggs to give them superpowers?
I seem to recall that when I was growing up it was a soup made from the turtle male organ that was the one that gave you super powers.

Maybe they should cook the one from the monkeys, they copulates many times a day according to national geographic.

Murder trial starts, photo of deceased conservationist

http://qcostarica.com/new-trial-opens-i … airo-mora/

Defense: we hate too many turtle eggs!!!!!

Sea turtle egg poaching by locals is very common in Panama along the entire Caribbean coast despite official government efforts (READ: nothing) to stop the practice.  Indigenous people are unswayed by "modern" social norms.

A local here told me that the turtle eggs are collected by an agency that hatches them and then releases the baby turtles to the sea.

I hope they release them in the same beach, I believe that when they grow up they return to the place they were born in,I think that what I been told.

The location of the release was not mentioned, but yes, that is critical.   

When we lived in Alaska, I recall a fish hatchery that released the salmon fry into the sea from a culvert that was several feet above the surface of the bay.   

The returning fish had no stream to migrate up into, they were unable to migrate upstream to spawn  - the commercial fisherman would cruise the bay and net the kings.

I was just reading that preparations are starting for the new cycle of Turtle nesting. This may be the time to make contact and get involved.

Great,  if you have any info on contacts, let me know.  We check the beach for tracks when walking in the AM looking for any sign of turtle activity.   I have read that the nesting time is March or April, but I don't know.   

If we get to witness the nesting, it would be a great photo op!

No just saw an article about some effort between Fajardo and Luquillo about cleaning the beach and preparing it for the nesting which is coming soon but did not say when. It is likely occurring in other parts of the island not just that area.

Sorry no additional info at the moment.

May want to search this forum I think somebody posted a related site a few months ago for those that want to get involved

Apparently they just found the first nest of the season. Article here with some video (Spanish) http://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/loca … a-2167791/

Awesome!  We are waiting for the first turtles in our area.  One of the volunteers stopped by the other day and made contact with us.  The volunteer group seems to be well organized and on the job.

A neighbor told me that last year one nested right by our place. "Have camera - will shot on sight"

If I can figure out how to post a photo here, will share.