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MEXICO CITY, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Environmental protection authorities are investigating the deaths of 30 turtles of an endangered species in Mexico's western state of Nayarit, said the federal government on Saturday.
The Federal Attorney's Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa) said that their investigators found the remains of the turtles, which were identified as the olive ridley sea species, on June 14, on the Pozo de Higueras and Novillero beaches located within the Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve.
The experts suspected that the turtles died due to fishing activities in the area, as reports said that fishermen used gill nets of up to one kilometre long, said the federal office in a press release.
The olive ridley sea turtle is protected by the Mexican Ministry of Environment as an endangered species because of their dwindling population, due to predation, damaged habitat and other factors.
Officials from Mexico's Navy and the National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (Conanp) are also involved in the investigation. The sea creatures died in separate incidents, according to Profepa.
The Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve, located on the Pacific coast, includes 133,000 hectares of mangrove forests, coastal lagoons, swamps and deltas that are home to over 57 species of animals, including jaguars, crocodiles and ducks.
