The Lepidochelys olivacea (olive ridley sea turtle) plays a vital role in maintaining ocean health. As a carnivorous species, it helps regulate populations of crustaceans and fish, transports essential nutrients between marine habitats and nesting beaches, and serves as a bioindicator of ecosystem quality.

The San José Canyon, located off Guatemala’s Pacific coast, is a critical submarine ecosystem for the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea). It functions as a biodiversity hotspot, providing feeding grounds, migratory routes, and an important biological corridor for the species.

Importance of the San José Canyon for Lepidochelys olivacea:

• Feeding and productivity: Due to its great depths (reaching up to 2,000 meters) and proximity to the coastline, the canyon generates upwelling currents that bring nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean to the surface. This supports an abundant food web of crustaceans, mollusks, fish, and jellyfish, which constitute the primary diet of this sea turtle.

• Migration and breeding route: The canyon and the Middle America Trench serve as a natural migration corridor used by olive ridleys and other sea turtle species (such as green turtles and leatherbacks) during their journeys to nesting beaches along the Guatemalan coast.

• Ecosystem connectivity: The canyon’s deep waters interact directly with the mangroves, estuaries, and sandbars of the Sipacate–San José Canyon complex, essential habitats that turtles use as resting areas and for the development of their early life stages.

Conservation significance:

For Lepidochelys olivacea, considered one of the most abundant yet vulnerable sea turtle species in Guatemala, the San José Canyon is a priority area for scientific research.

In collaboration with the University of San Carlos of Guatemala (CEMA-USAC), Semillas del Océano, and CONAP, we conduct marine megafauna surveys in this region to better understand population dynamics and promote the conservation of its habitat.