César Paúl Ley-Quiñónez (2024)

The study led by César Paúl Ley-Quiñónez aims to assess whether there is a generational change in the size of nesting Kemp’s ridley turtles at the Playa Rancho Nuevo Sanctuary in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Over recent years, there has been a noticeable decline in the average size of nesting females, which could be attributed to various factors such as environmental changes, earlier sexual maturity, and a higher number of first-time nesting turtles (neophytes), which are typically smaller. The research will also examine the impact of conservation programs and climate change on this trend, including the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which significantly affected turtle populations.

SWOT funds support field sampling during multiple “arribadas” in the 2025 nesting season to gather data on the size of both new recruits and remigrating turtles. This updated data, combined with information collected over the past six years, will help determine if a generational change is occurring and if the minimum nesting size of the turtles needs to be revised at the sanctuary to reflect these changes.