GT-polygon

Although nesting of sea turtles does occur within the Golfo de Fonseca, it is not as widespread or as common as it is on the outer coast beaches. The most common sea turtle in the gulf is Lepidochelys olivacea, which nests year round, with the peak period being June-October. L. olivacea is likely to nest on basically all outer coast sand beaches (ESI = 3A or 4) and mixed sand and gravel beaches (ESI = 5) in this atlas. Examples of some important nesting habitats include the area from Punta Condega to Punta Raton and the sand beaches of Isla Tigre in Honduras. In Nicaragua, the principal nesting areas are the beaches around Punta San Juan, and the pocket beaches associated with the cliffs, southwest of Punta San Juan. There may be some limited occurrences of this turtle in the larger estuaries, where they may feed. There are some reports of other marine turtles (including Chelonia mydas agassizi and Eretmochelys imbricata) in the gulf, but the numbers are relatively small, and as a rule these species are restricted to the outer-most parts of the gulf. Collection of turtle eggs is an important subsistence activity, and there are ongoing attempts to somewhat regulate the harvests. In Honduras, collection of turtle eggs is permitted all year, with the exception of a 15-day period during the "peak egg laying period," which is determined by DIGEPESCA. This closure is not strictly enforced, and it is suspected that collection continues. Locations for rare and protected amphibians and reptiles in coastal and inland areas (such as common and black iguanas, snakes, etc.) were based mainly on information provided by expert sources, wildlife biologists, and resource managers. In general, local experts agree that the abundance of the larger reptiles in this area (such as alligators and snakes) has decreased significantly over the last few decades due to loss of habitats and human exploitation. | Description Source: Research Planning, Inc.

Converted from FGDC using 'fgdc_to_inport_xml_entity.pl' script.