The Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Project, or Proyecto ¡Carey! in Spanish, was started in 2007 to spearhead local and regional efforts to investigate, promote conservation, and raise awareness of hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EP), one of the world's most endangered sea turtle populations. Proyecto ¡CAREY!, the first ever field effort designed to specifically seek out and study hawksbills in this region of the world, was created by Alexander Gaos and Ingrid Yañez, a husband and wife team who recently acquired one of the world´s youngest Research Assistants when their son Joaquinn joined the staff in early 2008.
PHASE I In late 2007 Proyecto ¡CAREY! began its field work by conducting a 1500 mile, 2 1/2 month trip around the Gulf of California or Sea of Cortez, in northwest Mexico, visiting every fishing community in the region to glean knowledge from fishermen to find out if and where hawksbills could continue to be found. Using a variety of promotional materials and engaging fishermen and local conservation organizations first hand, Proyecto ¡CAREY! launched a hawksbill sighting network, raised local awareness and began collecting much needed information on the biology of the species, setting the stage for hawksbill conservation in the region.
At the 2008 International Sea Turtle Symposium, held in Loreto, Mexico, Proyecto ¡CAREY! staff shared the preliminary results from their efforts and held the first ever meeting on eastern hawksbills.
Alexander, Ingrid, and Joaquinn recently wrapped up their second trip around the Gulf of California, which was undertaken to conduct in-water monitoring of hawksbills at sites determined to have the greatest potential for encountering the species. The results of their efforts so far have been phenomenal. By partnering with local fishermen and community members, within a two day span in mid-July 2008 they caught their first three hawksbills and equipped two of them with satellite transmitters in order to track their movements, a historic first for the species in the EP.
Following these captures, Proyecto ¡CAREY! helped organize the “First Workshop of the Hawksbill Turtle in the Eastern Pacific” in El Salvador, Central America. The workshop brought together sea turtle experts from countries throughout the EP to discuss and share information on hawksbills in this region of the world. The meeting was extremely successful and the group created a region-wide coalition for the recovery of the species called the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative or EPHI, of which Alexander was elected to lead. Prior to the workshop Proyecto ¡CAREY! also partnered up the Salvadorian component of EPHI to apply the first ever satellite tags to three adult female hawksbill turtles.
Upon returning from El Salvador, Proyecto ¡CAREY! staff continued their in-water monitoring for hawksbills and were rewarded immediately with the capture of four additional hawksbills over a three day span. Proyecto ¡CAREY!’s efforts and collaboration with EPHI in Mexico and abroad have not only proved extremely successful, they have given new hope to the recovery of hawksbill turtles in the EP.
PHASE II Phase two of Proyecto ¡CAREY! is currently underway and started off with a bang. After several months of discussion, in late 2008 project staff convinced wildlife managers of the CETMAR No. 14 aquarium in Puerto Pañasco, Sonora (Mexico), to release an adult hawksbill they had been holding in captivity for several years. This was a huge accomplishment and represents a great opportunity to learn about the species in this region of the world as it is the first adult hawksbill ever to be tracked using satellit telemetry. Check out the video at the end of this page to see the historic release!
An large field compoenent of phase two is just around the corner. This summer project staff will replicate phase one activities (undertaken in the Gulf) along the mainland coast of Mexico. The objectives will be to determine historical and current hawksbill abundance and distribution, raise local awareness and initiate conservation of the species in region.
Additionally, Proyecto ¡CAREY! will continue playing an intricate role in EPHI, spearheading efforts to study and understand hawksbills on a regional level and giving the species the best possible opportunity of recovering in the Eastern Pacific.
Please consider DONATING towards this effort and helping to ensure the best chances of survival for hawksbill turtles in the eastern Pacific! Simply click here!
More about Hawksbill sea turtles... Hawksbill turtles are one of only three of the world’s species of sea turtle that are considered critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In addition to the threats posed by the harvest of eggs, juveniles, and adults for both domestic consumption and commercial sale; the incidental capture and death in small and large scale fisheries; as well as the destruction of nesting and foraging habitat; hawksbills face the additional threat presented by their beautiful carapace (aka; tortoise shell or bekko). The unique and colorfully patterned hawksbill shell is used to make handicrafts and other collectibles, while entire stuffed specimens of the species are a common decorative item on the walls of homes and establishments from Japan to Mexico.
The combination of these threats has resulted in the devastation of hawksbill populations around the world. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Eastern Pacific.
Click here to read the most recent edition of Conservation International’s magazine, “State of the World’s Sea Turtles (SWOT)”, which came out in January 2008 and features an article on Proyecto ¡Carey!
Click here to read the recent article on Alex and Ingrid's work!
Click here to track the tagged hawksbill sea turtles!
For a press release of the historic EPHI meeting, click here.
Below is a video of a hawksbill turtle (Peñasquita) recently released by Proyecto ¡Carey! in conjunction with the CETMAR No. 14, from Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, on the eastern coast of the Gulf of California. The turtle was originally caught by fishermen several years earlier and had been kept in an aquarium since that time. Peñasquita has travelled more than 400 kilometers since her release! Visit the link above to see her track and follow her journey.
Proyecto ¡CAREY! has been made possible through the close collaboration between Pro Peninsula and the Grupo Tortuguero and through funding and in-kind support provided by the People´s Trust for Endangered Species, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Fisheries Science Center of the National Atmpospheric and Oceanic Administration, Ocean Conservancy, Oceana, Conservation International the National Fish and Wildlife Federation and several individual contributers including Leonor Sardihna, Dane Witheringtton, Michael Carey and others.
