On the same day, 13 October 2026, the Center for Biological Diversity filed two petitions: one with the Mexican authorities, the other with the authorities of New Jersey. In Mexico, the subject is the rare Cora mud turtle (Kinosternon cora), known from only a handful of specimens, and all species of the genus Kinosternon. In the American state, it is the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin), which drowns in blue crab traps.
Casquito turtles live in limited bodies of water in western Mexico. Their numbers are declining because of habitat loss and illegal collection. The petition calls for Cora to be listed as an endangered species and for protection measures to be extended to the entire genus. Without such steps, rare populations could disappear unnoticed by the general public.
In New Jersey the problem is different, but no less acute. Diamondback terrapins get into crab traps and drown, unable to escape. According to the petition, nearly 95 % of tidal waters with known terrapin habitats remain without mandatory devices that reduce bycatch. Existing rules cover only narrow channels and artificial lagoons.
Simple plastic trap entrance restrictors let crabs through but block turtles. Such devices have already proven effective in other states: terrapin mortality drops to 94 %. In addition, the petition proposes seasonal bans on trapping in vulnerable zones, a program to collect abandoned "ghost" traps, and stricter enforcement.
Both appeals show one pattern: threats to turtles often arise from everyday economic activity, not from dramatic catastrophes. Solutions exist and are inexpensive, but they require changes to rules and to fishermen's habits. When protection depends on the width of a stream or an administrative boundary, the animals keep dying.
Simple devices on crab traps and a clear protected status for Mexican species are not abstract measures but concrete steps that can preserve populations while it is not yet too late.
