Veslařský tým WWF, propagující ochranu mořských želv, získal stříbrnou medaili

26.4.2005
TAMPA, Florida [WWF]
Autor: Monica Echeverria, tel: +1 202 778 9626

Facing rough sea conditions for more than three hours, a WWF rowing team competed in a paddling race to raise awareness for sea turtle conservation.

Racing under the slogan "Paddling for Survival", the Sea Turtle team – consisting of six paddlers from Costa Rica – took second place (arriving only two minutes behind the winner) in the grueling 20.5-mile Fort Desoto–Egmont Channel Race in the US state of Florida.

“This team’s effort shows the commitment and concern that Costa Ricans have for sea turtles conservation,” said Carlos Drews, WWF’s Marine Turtle Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean.

“With hard work and training they are helping to send an important message to the world, that only with international cooperation, we will be able to save this prehistoric reptile from extinction.”

The race simulated part of a migratory route used by leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea), which paddle thousands of kilometers to reach Costa Rican beaches for nesting. From there, they travel north along the US coast, sometimes reaching Canadian waters for feeding, with many crossing the Atlantic Ocean to the coasts of Europe and Africa before returning to the Caribbean two and a half years later.

According to WWF, leatherbacks are in critical danger of extinction. Their population has declined by 90 per cent in the Pacific over the past 20 years, with some 50,000 caught world-wide each year in long-line fishing nets.

“We need to tell the world about their plight,” said Neil Kahn, trainer and captain of the rowing team. “Sea turtles are a shared natural asset. We all must share in the responsibility of saving them."

NOTES:

• Members of the paddling team – sponsored by WWF and Sustainable Forestry Managment (SFM) – included Gustavo Corrales, José Segura, Alexis Sandí, Edwin Monge, William Rivera, and Neil Kahn. The team finished the 20.5-mile race in 3hrs and 23 minutes.

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