Egg looting and illegal trafficking put sea turtles at risk in Mexico

He explained that coordination with hotels is key. “Turning off lights, removing beach furniture and raising guest awareness helps the beach remain an important site for the species,” he said.

According to Verdín, in Playa Aventuras DIF—the area with the largest nesting of loggerhead turtles in Mexico—the 2025 season recorded 1,678 nests: 474 of loggerhead turtles and 1,204 of white/green turtles. Additionally, 142,947 hatchlings were released, with a remarkable 96% success rate in sightings.

Although looting has decreased in that region, Verdín acknowledged that in other parts of the country it continues to be a source of clandestine income. “Mexico continues to have this problem… many people use it as a source of income and it continues to be a traffic that affects,” he stated.

In Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, the biologist Alejandro Sánchezknown on social networks as “The Turtle Professor”confirmed that looting has not disappeared, at least in that region.

“In Boca Negra and Boca de Tomates they steal our turtles, kill them, and there is a lot of predation by dogs,” he explained. In contrast, he pointed out that in the hotel zone the theft of nests is almost impossible due to the constant surveillance of the staff.

Sánchez recalled that the consumption of eggs and meat has historical roots that survive even environmental legislation. “Although the law says nine years in prison for consuming turtle eggs, they still come and tell me: ‘Biologist, sell me two eggs… I need them,'” he said.

Given this, he insisted, the belief that they are aphrodisiacs “is completely false.” “There is nothing aphrodisiac about it; on the contrary, it has more cholesterol than a chicken egg,” he said.

Despite this, he agreed that 2025 was also a good season: “This year we counted around 2,000 nests… it was very good nesting.”

A protection that is not yet enough

In 2025, Semarnat launched the “What eggs!” campaign. to stop and raise awareness about the illegal consumption and trafficking of turtle eggs, remembering that “they are wildlife, not food.”

In addition, since 2022, 17 beaches have been declared sea turtle sanctuaries and in 2024 Cahuitán and Barra de la Cruz–Playa Grande were added, two priority sites that lacked official protection.

Although these beaches are already recognized as sea turtle sanctuaries and authorities have reinforced surveillance in these areas, the resources to care for these protected natural areas are insufficient.

Just a few weeks ago, environmentalists fought to expand the budget allocated to the Ministry of the Environment (Semarnat), which, despite a reallocation of 500 million pesos, had a cut from 70,245 million pesos in 2025 to 45,564 million pesos for 2026.

Meanwhile, the budget of the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp) remained at 1,502 million pesos, which represented 500 million pesos more reallocated than had been projected. However, the money is insufficient.

Even with these budget modifications, the measures are insufficient. “Only one in every 10,000 hawksbill hatchlings reaches adulthood,” said biologist Cov Hernández.

Luis Verdín, from the Eco-Bahía Foundation, He warned that the real results of the efforts made now will be measured in the long term. “It can take the turtles 14 years to return to the beach where they were born. What we release today will be reflected in more than a decade,” he explained.

Meanwhile, biologist Alejandro Sánchez insisted that environmental education is the only sustainable way to stop these practices. “If we don’t understand that everything is respected and that they are our resources, we are going to continue losing turtles,” he said.

As long as looting and illegal trafficking remain active, the survival of these emblematic species will continue to depend on community surveillance, institutional coordination and the social decision to stop consuming a resource whose extraction, in addition to being illegal, implies the silent death of an entire ecosystem.