Eggs Protected As Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins in Chelem
The Progreso Municipal Public Safety and Traffic Department has seen first-hand evidence that sea turtle nesting season has indeed begun. One mother turtle was found laying eggs in Chelem on Tuesday, and officers quickly secured the area to protect her and prevent any disturbance during the natural spawning process.
The turtle and its 171 eggs were later transferred to the Center for Technological Studies of the Sea (Cetmar), where biologists will implement protocols to ensure proper incubation and the eventual safe release of the hatchlings.
Sea Turtle Nesting Season in Yucatán
The Yucatán Peninsula, including the state of Quintana Roo with its 900 kilometers of coastline, is one of Mexico’s most important nesting sites for sea turtles. Sea turtle nesting season in this region typically runs from May to October, though the full cycle of nesting and hatching can extend from April through November.
Of the seven sea turtle species worldwide, six come to Mexico’s beaches to nest, with four species commonly found in the Yucatán Peninsula: green turtles (also known as black turtles in the Pacific), loggerhead turtles, hawksbill turtles, and occasionally leatherback turtles. A female turtle can lay up to 200 eggs at once in a nest she digs with her fins several meters from the shoreline.
Interestingly, the sex of the hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the sand during incubation. After the adult turtles return to the sea, conservation efforts often involve moving eggs to protected nests to prevent predation by birds, iguanas, and other animals.
The eggs typically take six to eight weeks (approximately 45-60 days) to hatch, making July through November the primary period for hatchling emergence and release. September and October represent the peak months for hatchling activity.
Progreso municipal authorities have issued a reminder to citizens to report any turtle sightings, particularly during nesting season, to ensure these protected species receive appropriate conservation care under environmental regulations. While the Ecological Police Department previously handled such cases, the Public Safety and Traffic Department now oversees these situations.
This marks the first documented case of sea turtle nesting in the area during the current season.
Sea turtle populations rise
In recent years, for the first time ever in Yucatán, biologists recorded the birth of a species of turtle known as tortuga lora.
The largest nesting grounds for lora turtles are on the coasts of the Mexican states of Veracruz and Tamaulipas.
The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii), as it is also known, is the world’s most endangered sea turtle species.
Their population crashed dramatically in the mid-20th century, with nesting females declining from thousands to just a few hundred by the 1980s.
What makes their situation particularly concerning is their limited nesting range – they primarily nest on just a few beaches in Mexico’s Gulf coast, making them extremely vulnerable to localized threats. Their unique mass nesting behavior (called “arribada”) that once involved thousands of turtles now often includes just hundreds.
Conservation efforts since the 1970s have included protected nesting beaches, fishing gear modifications, and international agreements, which have helped stabilize but not fully recover the population. Climate change presents new challenges, affecting hatchling sex ratios and altering beach conditions.
Their recovery remains fragile despite protection, requiring continued conservation commitment to ensure their survival.
But threats remain. A black market for sea turtle eggs and shells continues to exist across Latin America, although changing attitudes have seen it shrink considerably over the past few decades.
Sea turtles in Yucatán, as in much of the world, continue to be threatened by myriad man-made factors such as climate change and habitat loss.
Lee Steele is the founding director of Mérida-based Roof Cat Media S de RL de CV and has published Yucatán Magazine and other titles since 2012. He was Hearst Connecticut’s Sunday Magazine creative director and worked in New York City for various magazine publishers, including Condé Nast and Primedia, for over 20 years.
