Lent Ills

In the midst of Lent, the conservation group Wildcoast is asking Pope John Paul II to declare that sea turtles are meat, not fish. The group, which focuses on the protecting coastal resources in California and Baja California, says sea turtle populations are hit especially hard during Lent because many Catholics give up meat for the 40-day period. Eating sea turtles during Lent is a longstanding tradition in parts of Mexico; last month, Mexico increased the penalty for poaching turtles from three years to a maximum 12 years in prison.