Sea Shepherd to Protect Sea Turtles in Gulf of Ulloa

January 24, 2024 MEXICO CITY, MEXICO -Sea Shepherd Conservation Society today announced a new partnership with the Government of Mexico to protect the Caretta carettaTurtle in the Gulf of Ulloa.

The partnership, signed by Secretary Admiral Ojeda of SEMAR, Mexico's Navy, and Sea Shepherd CEO Pritam Singh at Naval Headquarters, will take place on the south-eastern coast of the Baja California Peninsula.

Also called Loggerhead Sea Turtles, Caretta carettaperform one of the longest trans-oceanic migrations of any marine vertebrate, migrating from nesting areas in Japan to the Gulf of Ulloa. Mexican Wildlife Law Enforcement reported significant numbers of deceased Caretta caretta Turtles from 2018-2020 of roughly 500-1,000 turtles per year, and some historical estimates have numbered up to 3,000 turtles. The deaths result from the illegal use of bottom gillnets whose large mesh size cause entangled turtles to drown, and the resulting mortality is of international concern because the Caretta carettapopulation was recently uplisted to endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

"Our message to the Caretta caretta is simple; help is on the way," remarked Sea Shepherd CEO Pritam Singh upon adding his signature to the agreement. "We have a proven partnership with the Mexican Government in the Upper Gulf of California protecting the Vaquita, and now we bring that same effective partnership and commitment to the defense of these turtles. There is much work ahead, but today is a good day for the oceans, and we are honored to be invited into this new partnership at this critical time."

The agreement signed today commits Sea Shepherd to providing ships, crews, scientists and cutting edge data collection technology, including sonar, radar, drones and on-the-water surveillance in partnership with the Mexican Navy to reverse this trend of turtle deaths.

The first steps of the new campaign will include extensive logistical analysis to determine the protocols, ships, staffing model and reporting process that will shape the campaign, with implementation scheduled for mid-2024.

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