Pro Peninsula E-bulletin

On August 21-23, 2009 the staff and volunteers of the Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias (Sea Turtle Conservation Network of the Californias) organized the 8th Annual Monitoring Meeting of the Grupo Tortuguero (GT). Held outside Guasave, Sinaloa, at the Hotel el Congrejo Moro, the meeting was a logistical miracle, with over 90 fishermen, scientists, students and volunteers traveling by car, boat and plane across the Sea of Cortez to the small costal town of Las Glorias.

For the past five years, the sea turtle monitoring team based in Guasave, headed by Alan Zavala, has been lobbying for the monitoring meeting to come to Sinaloa. Knowing that logistically it would be a huge undertaking, the GT held off for many years. However, Alan was persistent and, lucky for all participants, the meeting was held for the first time on the mainland of Mexico. Alan and his team pulled out all the stops to make sure the tortugueros felt welcome on their home turf. Local bands played traditional Sinaloan music and members of the local fishing cooperative took all meeting participants on a tour of the estuary and surrounding islands. Alan and his team helped create a meeting none of us will soon forget.

Aside from all the fun and games, some very important work was done. Members of 25 communities from Northwest Mexico reported on and discussed their sea turtle monitoring and conservation efforts. Attendees participated in one of three workshops, focusing on sea turtle monitoring in feeding areas, sea turtle monitoring on nesting beaches, and sea turtle tourism. Additionally, participants evaluated and discussed sustainable fishing methods and the potential for the GT to incorporate sustainable tourism activities as a way to benefit local conservation efforts.

Perhaps most notable was the level of participation in this meeting. Knowing the logistical challenges involved, it was anticipated that this would be a relatively small meeting. Surprisingly, the 2009 meeting had nearly double the number of participants than in years past. This level of participation shows the success of the Grupo Tortuguero staff in building the Grupo Tortuguero network and keeping all the communities engaged and active over the past year. The camaraderie and sense of commitment to sea turtle conservation was truly felt by all.

The organization of this meeting would not have been possible without the local support of CIIDIR and the Instituto Politécnico Nacional in Guasave Sinaloa. The meeting was supported by the Federación Regional de Sociedad de Cooperativas Pesqueras del Municipio de Guasave, del Ayuntamiento de Guasave, Agua Purificada Plus, Cervecería Tecate, the musical groups Banda Tierra Nuestra, Los Hijos del Padre, El Güerito de Guasave and Sonido Baby Off. Additional financial support came from Pro Peninsula, The Ocean Foundation and the Packard Foundation.