Manglita

Iniciativa Carey del Pacifico Oriental - ICAPO - Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative

A project of NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

click map for full-size version Map of Manglita's movements after being released at Bahia Jiquilisco, El Salvador.

Full-Size Map (18KB)
Animated Map (98KB)

Species: Hawksbill
Life Stage: Adult
Gender: Female
Release Date: 2012-07-18 00:00:00
Release Location: Bahia Jiquilisco, El Salvador
Last Location: 2012-08-26 09:40:24

Background

UPDATE: Unfortunately Manglita was killed by illegal blast-fishing (fishing using explosives) only one week after being tagged in Bahia Jiquilisco, El Salvador. This highly destructive fishing practice continues despite increased efforts to curb its use. ICAPO and its partners are using the unfortunate event to focus national and international attention on the need to reduce blast-fishing and provide alternatives to community members living in the area.

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On 18 July 2012, exactly 4 years after the historic tracking of the first 3 adult hawksbills in the eastern Pacific, all eyes are once again on the Bahia de Jiquilisco in El Salvador as the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative (ICAPO), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and local partners set out to tag 3 more adult females of this extremely endangered population of sea turtles.

Named in honor of the famous mascot of the Hawksbill Regional Cup (www.hawksbill.org), "Manglita" (NL142; NL143) was equipped with her transmitter amongst a mass of over 200 community members from throughout the Bahia de Jiquilisco during the annual Hawksbill Festival. As Manglita rushed toward the water to begin her journey, the crowd erupted into cheers and chanted the motto of the Hawksbill Cup, "We're a team!" Information gained from Manglita's movements will help researchers, local communities, and policy makers identify and protect critical marine habitat used by hawksbills in the eastern Pacific.

This tracking initiative would not have been possible without the generous support of NOAA and the participation of the following groups: ICAPO, Ayuda en Accion, Asociacion Mangle, CODEPA, ViVAZUL, MARN, Fauna & Flora International, and the local communities of La Pirraya, El Cojoyon, Pajarito, Punta San Juan, San Sebastian and El Tular.