S. Hoyt Peckham, Alejandro A. Aguilar, Edgar Caballero-Aspe, Wallace J. Nichols and Christobal I. Figler. 2007. Caguamas del Pacifico: ¿En las manos de quién? Loggerhead turtles of the Pacific: In whose hands? In: Mast, R.B., Hutchinson, B.J., and A.H. Hutchinson, compilers. 2007. Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-567, 205 p.
Because fisheries bycatch off of the Baja California peninsula is a leading threat to the critically endangered North Pacific loggerhead turtle, its future is partly in the hands of Mexican fishers. Ironically, it is difficult for many of Baja California’s halibut fishers to understand that loggerhead turtles are endangered because they can catch up to forty turtles in a single day. In Caguamas del Pacifico: ¿en las manos de quién? Baja California fishers present the incredible transpacific migration of the loggerhead turtle featuring hands-on deployment of satellite tags, rare underwater turtle footage, stunning Baja California scenery, and galvanizing “turtle rodeo” action sequences. Fishers share the staggering turtle mortality they encounter on a daily basis, and for the first time, envision alternative fishing strategies. Caguamas del Pacifico: ¿en las manos de quién? documents a landmark: Baja California fishers “owning” the fisheries bycatch problem and imagining solutions to protect the loggerhead turtle, pan-Pacific symbol of wisdom and endurance.
