Cozumel’s turtle season was officially inaugurated last week when the first meeting of the “Comité de Protección de la Tortuga Marina de la Isla de Cozumel, temporada 2014”  was called to order in the Mayor’s chambers.  The committee is composed of State agencies, municipal authorities and civil service groups.

This year’s committee is comprised of six brigades with night monitors are in charge of the following brigades:

Monday – Municipal Department
Tuesday- National Marine Park
Wednesday – CIMAC
Thursday – Foundation of Parks and Museums (FPMC)
Viernes.- PASA
Sábado.- Áak
Domingo.- Municipal Department

Already this year, 39 nests – all loggerhead – have been found and tagged.

Cozumel is fortunate to be a breeding area to two species of turtles, the loggerhead (careta careta) and the green turtle (chelonian mydas).  Turtles in Cozumel are protected under both civil and penal codes, with the first decree of protection appearing in publication in “Diario Oficial de la Federación,” back in 1927.  During the months of May through September these turtles come ashore to lay their eggs on Cozumel’s eastern beaches.  Sea turtles generally lay between 150-200 eggs each time and can nest up to 6 times in a breeding season.  The eggs take around 60 days to incubate before the baby turtles head toward the sea.

Biól. Lemuel Vega, who is a Cozumel native,  is the Coordinator for  M.I.A (Environmental Impact)  and the Technical Manager  for Camp Tortuguero San Martín.  Throughout the 2014 Turtle Season he’ll be updating us as to the progress and as to how you can volunteer and assist.

This story originally appeared in the weekly Cozumel 4 You NEWS – the island’s number one source of positive information about our island!  Be sure and subscribe to the weekly NEWS to find out all the island events!…

Laura Wilkinson
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