Campaign Opposes the Eating of Sea Turtles

An advocacy group working to save endangered sea turtles unveiled a campaign Tuesday to discourage visitors to Baja California from eating the reptiles.

The campaign coincides with the season of Lent, when the turtles -- which live on beaches and in the water off Mexico’s Baja Peninsula -- are often eaten by visitors and residents who mistakenly consider the reptiles an acceptable substitute for meat during the religious period.

The time before Easter “is a particularly deadly time for the sea turtles because people eat them as a traditional holiday dish and a special occasion dish,” said Emily English of Wildcoast, a conservation group that monitors the turtle population and is heading the campaign.