A Remarkable Day in Akumal Bay with Centro Ecológico Akumal
I was invited to go on a biological event for turtles that CEA was hosting. A team of biologists and Ana Luisa Talavera Saenz were also participants. Ana is doing her doctoral thesis (Habitos alimentarios de la tortuga verde (Chelonia mydas) del litoral central de Quintana Roo, México) working in collaboration with ECOSURS. You can read more about the work ECOSUR does at http://www.ecosur-qroo.mx/
The morning began early when we gathered at the CEA office. There was a short briefing and I was told I was going to be on a team catching turtles. I would be a spotter for the team leader who was familiar with the process. The morning was calm and no one was in the water but our team. We swam out until we located a turtle having her morning fill of sargasso. Team leader Sofia Sarre (Coordinadora Monitoreo y Voluntario, Programa de Tortugas Marinas) came up to the surface holding the turtle carefully by the front and back of its shell. The boat with the biologists and José Luis Miranda, Tortuguero for CEA, was signaled that we had a turtle ready for pick up. Other team leaders in the water included CEA personnel Ximena Arvizu, Ixchel García Carrillo, Iván Penié, and Guillermo Camarena. As the morning continued the turtles were being brought up very quickly. This team has done it before and is skilled at making it look really easy. After a dozen gorgeous treasures of the sea had been captured, we went back to the shore for testing to begin.
By this time many people, including residents from the pueblo, were arriving on the beach and were curious to see what was in the boats. What a surprise they had when they saw a boat full of Tortugas!
Turtles received individual attention from the biologists and Ana. They had blood drawn, were tested for Fibropapilomatosis, had shell samples taken, and were carefully measured for overall size, head and neck. If the turtles did not have a previously attached tag, they got a piercing in their left front flipper. The turtles not being tested were watched over closely by Ing. Roberto Luis Herrera Pavón y Dra. María Concepción Ortiz de ECOSUR to ensure they were not stressed while waiting their turn with the experts.
After all tests and data were collected, the turtles were hoisted out of the boat and released. Hopefully the data the turtles shared will help in the continued preservation of this endangered species.
For this turtle lover and CEA volunteer my day was a remarkable heartwarming, educational experience. The work that is being done by CEA for the turtles, water quality, coral restoration, and general ecological balance in the bay is to be highly commended. Akumal is very lucky to have a team of experts caring for what we call paradise.
Rozanne “Rozita” Quintero
