Keegan Sentner is a wildlife biologist by training but considers himself a conservation storyteller. He acknowledges a great need to effectively communicate science to the public in exciting and inspiring ways. He aspires to use his voice to amplify the voices of others. Currently based in Baja California Sur, Keegan aims to help build a sustainable seafood economy. Keegan’s storytelling encompasses fields such as eco-tourism, wildlife, travel, and adventure sports. Follow his blog (ConservationAtLarge) or connect with him via email (KeeganSentner24@gmail.com).

Upwell researcher Stephanie J. Rousso scribbles some final notes into her data logbook and collects the array of scientific utensils scattered around the hot surface of the sand. The scorching sun shines down on the tattered pieces of what was once one of the sea's most magnificent creatures. The Bay of La Paz is filled with scattered mangrove forests, rocky reefs, and rugged coastlines. On this sunny morning, Stephanie collects data on a hawksbill sea turtle washed ashore dead. The sea turtle was reported early this morning by community members who participate in Upwell's Sea Turtle Spotter citizen science program. Stephanie and the team were packed up, full of coffee, and at the stranding site in less than an hour.

The Eastern Pacific Ocean is home to five of the planet's seven species of sea turtle, including the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). This species is known to forage throughout the Bay of La Paz, an inset bay in Mexico’s Gulf of California. The hawksbill is identified by its characteristic coffee and caramel-colored carapace (shell), as well as their "raptorlike" beak that lends the animal its namesake. Hawksbills are considered "keystone" species, a term that refers to a group of organisms that are considered vital to the function of the ecosystem. Research by Alex Gaos of the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative (ICAPO) demonstrates how hawksbill sea turtles throughout the Eastern Pacific exhibit a unique propensity for mangrove and coastal foraging habitats. These habitats are typical throughout Northwest Mexico and contribute to the region's impressive biodiversity. The data we collect from this stranding is significant because the loss represents one of the bay’s most endangered and vital components.

Hawksbill populations are increasingly affected by anthropogenic factors, including habitat degradation, vessel strikes, and bycatch (incidental catch of non-target species in fishing gear). The decline of hawksbill populations throughout the Eastern Pacific is also tied to the global wildlife trade. For hundreds of years, the illicit trade of “tortoiseshell” derived from the hawksbill carapace for use in trinkets, decimated populations. In some parts of Mexico, hawksbills are considered traditional gifts for newlyweds and new restaurant owners. The cultural practice, rooted in old customs, furthered the decline throughout Northwest Mexico. Without a full necropsy, our team can only collect data and speculate on the cause of this turtle’s death. Stephanie acknowledges the most likely culprit: bycatch.

Bycatch is a pressing issue in the region. Although regulations exist to limit unselective fishing gear like gillnets, enforcement is weak. Bycaught sea turtles present an economic dilemma to fishers. A sea turtle accidentally caught in a net is worth more on the informal market than the value derived by reporting it to conservationists. And yet a sea turtle in a fisher’s boat or net is also a liability; fines can be steep for persons in possession of an endangered hawskbill. Dead turtles are often removed from nets and cast overboard to avoid scrutiny. As a result, tracking rates of incidental capture and collecting mortality data on the hawksbill populations is extremely difficult. Gathering data on living hawskbills presents enough of a challenge; precious few studies exist on hawksbills in the Bay of La Paz. Thankfully, a group of local fishers are partnering with Upwell scientists to reveal how hawskbills use habitats in the Bay of La Paz and to help reduce bycatch risk.

The carcass laid out in front of her presents a ghastly view of a beautiful creature, but it also provides a rare opportunity for Stephanie to collect data. Data on the life history of hawksbill populations in the Bay of La Paz is scarce. The little population data researchers have acquired is a product of a unique collaboration between two groups of small-scale fishers in the bay. On the north end of the bay, the fishing camp, “El Pardito”, has monitored a resident population of juvenile hawksbills that appear to be utilizing the protected mangrove wetlands for foraging and nesting. On the southern end of the bay, the fishing camp “Las Pacas” has reported occasional sightings, including a bycatch incident in 2016. Their voluntary collaboration and ocean stewardship inspired Stephanie to pursue further research to pinpoint the causes of mortality behind strandings and correlate them with local bycatch hotspots. Until then, Upwell researchers, in collaboration with local NGOs and academic institutions, continue to collect vital data from all sea turtle reports, dead or alive.