Fishing nets caused the deaths of 125 sea turtles in Tamaulipas

November 29, 2019

Turtles arrive on a Tamaulipas beach to lay their eggs. Not all of them make it due to fishing nets.

Fishing nets killed 125 sea turtles off the coast of Tamaulipas earlier this month.

A spokesperson for the Tamaulipas Parks and Biodiversity Commission said most were green sea turtles.

Carlos Alejandro Garza also said that a number of nets have been found on the La Pesca and Tepehuajes beaches in Soto La Marina in recent weeks.

The nets stop the turtles while on their way to the beaches to lay eggs, drowning them when they become trapped.

Personnel from the Natural Protected Areas Commission (Conanp) performed autopsies on the turtles at the La Playa Sea Turtle Conservation Center on November 23, and ascertained that all died from drowning after becoming trapped in the nets.

There have been several reports of dead sea turtles trapped in nets since November 11.

Another 12 turtles were found dead on beaches at Miramar on Thursday. An official in Ciudad Madero said an autopsy revealed that one of the causes of death was the ingestion of plastic.