World Status, Exploitation and Trade - WIDECAST

MEXICOThe presence of nesting on Baja California remains conjectural. Caldwell(1963) noted that there were "nebulous references" to Green Turtle nestingon many beaches along southern Baja California and in the Gulf ofCalifornia, but also added that there were no recent records of nesting.MArquez ( in litt. . 29 August 1988) confirmed this.Nesting numbers Recent figures are available only for the Michoacinpopulation. Alvarado and Figueroa (1986) estimated that c. 600 nested onfour beaches (Colola, Maruata, Chlmapa and Hotin del Oro) in Mlchoacin in1985. Data from earlier seasons indicated that these beaches held c. 50% ofthe female breeding herd nesting in Michoac4n, which was thus estimated toamount to c. 1200 females in that year. Figures for earlier years,presumably derived using the same techniques are given in Table 143.Table 143. Estimated numbers of female Chelonia mydas nesting inMichoacan, 1981-85 (Alvarado and Figueroa, 1986 and 1987).YearEstimated numberof nesting females1981