Puerto Lopez, MANABI
Forty sea turtles, 39 green and one hawksbill (endangered species), which surround the Isla de la Plata, within the Machalilla National Park, off the coast of Puerto López, were examined; Some of them were removed hooks that were embedded in the organisms of these turtles.
The work was carried out for a consecutive year by a group of medical professionals and environmentalists, within the Anzuelo 2022 operation, for which a mobile clinic was installed in which the hooks were removed, as well as curing and reviewing the sea turtles. .
Park rangers from the Machalilla National Park, members of the Aquatic Unit of the Manta Fire Department and veterinarians and volunteers from WildAid, a non-governmental organization dedicated to the protection of flora and fauna, collaborated in this work.
Specialists came together to save the lives of 63 sea turtles in Manabí
Last year, of the 44 turtles checked, 70% were hooked; while, in this 2022, the number of hooks found fell to 28% in the 40 turtles analyzed. Serious cases that had to undergo surgery fell from 37% in 2021 to 5% in 2022.
Roddy Macías, a member of WildAid, indicated that in 2021, 23 serious turtles were detected due to the hooks; while in this 2022 there were eleven and, of them, only two were serious, something that he considered to be a good incentive.
In 2021, a strengthening of the team of marine park rangers began on Isla de la Plata, to combat illegal fishing in the protected area. WildAid accompanies these efforts, and has provided and improved safety and vessel detection equipment, such as radar, automatic vessel identification system, night vision goggles, among others.
In Puerto López, a turtle was released that had a hook in its intestines
Rocky and coral bottoms, where marine species reproduce, are part of the wealth of marine biodiversity that is available on the island of La Plata. This work will continue to be strengthened to carry out control and monitoring of species, such as sea turtles, some of them at risk of extinction, for example, the hawksbill.
The hook found in the turtles is the product of these species trying to feed on the baits that fishermen place on these metal objects to catch fish. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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