Date: July 9, 2024.
Author: ProDelphinus & Red Laúd OPO Communication.
Postulated by: ProDelphinus

Don Carlos is originally from San José, Lambayeque on the North coast of Peru, he is affectionately called “Calín” by his friends and family.

Since the age of 20, he has been involved in the release of sea turtles. During fishing operations, when he incidentally captured a turtle, he released it because he was taught that if a turtle cries, it is a sign of bad luck; when he had the opportunity to participate in training workshops, he understood that in reality, it is a biological mechanism of these animals by which they expel excess salt from their body.

Mr. Carlos has become an expert in the release of sea turtles, he has achieved this because first, he has allowed practicing biologists and/or thesis students to board his boat, second, because he has participated in several training workshops organized by ProDelphinus that They deal with techniques for the safe handling and release of marine fauna and third, every time there is an incidental capture he communicates with ProDelphinus to report this interactions and receive new instructions to continue safely releasing the sea turtles.

His sons Ronald, Carlos and José Manuel have been crew members on his netting boat and have not only learned how to release sea turtles safely, but also how to attach tags (special marks for sea turtles), record morphometric measurements and when turtles emerge weak, all necessary procedures are carried out to achieve resuscitation. Currently, his children work on different boats, but what is notable is that they continue to apply what they learned with their father and pass it to other sailors, collaborating in the dissemination of the care and rescue of sea turtles. This dedication has been fundamental in raising awareness among more people about the importance of these conservation practices in the San José community.

Mr. Carlos Fiestas Fiestas, during the fishing day with his colleagues and during the release of a sea turtle.

Photos courtesy of ProDelphinus.

Due to his growing interest in protecting marine fauna, especially turtles, Mr. Carlos uses pingers (acoustic alarms) and LED lights on his boat to reduce interaction with the equipment. He is confident based on the results he obtains, that by using technology like LED lights, fewer turtles fall into his gear and he can continue to catch more fish. Mr. Carlos places these LED lights in his nets approximately every 10 meters and depending on the number of nets he uses in each haul he can use between 20 to 35 LED lights.

Collaborating in research on the use of pingers and LED lights in their fishing gear to reduce the bycatch of sea turtles.

Recently, Mr. Carlos and his boat crew “Messenger of Peace” participated and obtained first place in the marathon “A leatherback release, a leatherback saved”, a friendly competition organized by ProDelphinus in San José, whose objective is to recognize the work of artisanal fishermen who use gillnets through the implementation of good fishing practices, which seek to reduce the impact of fishing on sea turtle populations.