A new short film, Viva la tortuga documents the struggle to save loggerhead and green sea turtles in Magdalena Bay, Mexico. Once a region for a massive sea turtle meat market, the turtles now face a new threat: bycatch. Loggerhead sea turtles are drowning in bottom-set gillnets, unable to escape from the nets once entangled. The issue has even raises threats of trade embargoes from the U.S.
Still, the news is not all gloomy: a rising group of fishermen turned conservationists are working to save these species from local extinction. The fishermen have become scientists, documenting turtle mortalities and threats. Working together, researchers and fishermen have used creative methods to mitigate the local turtle decline.
This article was written for Mongabay.com and re-posted on Focusing on Wildlife.
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