Researchers from Widecast Costa Rica discovered a mature female Eastern Pacific Green turtle which had been tagged in the Galapagos Islands during their collection study Thursday in the Gulfo Dulce in the Osa Peninsula. Blood and tissue samples were taken from the turtle and then the sea creature was released.
“This is very exciting for us,” said Didiher Chacón who is president of Widecast Costa Rica, a sea turtle conservation organization. “We have been capturing turtles on and average of every two hours of time on the water and discovered what we think is a major feeding ground in the Golfo Dulce for Green Turtle populations.
It is rare for a Green Turtle to nest in the GolfoDulce area. Turtles that come to Costa Rica nest at beaches in Santa Rosa National Park, Nombre de Jesus and Punta Pargos in Guanacaste. Widecast researchers now believe the turtles come from as far as Galapagos, off the coast of Ecuador, to feed in the gulf.
Blood samples from the turtles in the area will give a Widecast a better idea of the health of the Golfo Dulce. Pesticide, sewage and sediment levels detected in the samples will determine the possible negative effect of palm and rice farms in the area.
