The president of the Govern, Marga Prohens, has attended, this Wednesday, the release of two sea turtles on the beach of Ses Covetes, in Campos. She was accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, Joan Simonet; the mayoress of Campos, Xisca Porquer; and the general director of Palma Aquarium and president of the Palma Aquarium Foundation, Joan Rams.

TDB keeps you informed. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Sea turtles

The turtles belong to the Caretta caretta species and have been baptized with the names of Tita and Brotons. At the time of rescue, Tita had a weight of 31.6 kg and a curved carapace length of 64.2 cm. Brotons had a length of 68.5 cm and a weight of 37.7 kg. The former was saved on June 5 in the Mallorca Channel, while Brotons was found on June 11, also in the same area. Both were treated at the Recovery Center of the Palma Aquarium, a centre coordinated with the Consortium for the Recovery of the Fauna of the Balearic Islands (COFIB), an entity under the Government.

Tita was picked up by the Fundación Palma Aquarium’s stranding team at the port of Portocolom. Once at the facilities, it was found that the animal was making breathing noises compatible with drowning. During its stay at the Recovery Center, it expelled a large amount of plastic. However, after receiving treatment, the animal was released on July 25.

Brotons was found with her right front flipper stranded in a ghost net. During the first examination and assistance, it was found that the animal had a very swollen and insensitive flipper. In addition, it also showed signs of dehydration. On June 13, the fin was surgically amputated and, after treatment, the animal was released from the veterinary service on July 25.

President Marga Prohens wanted to thank the Palma Aquarium Foundation for its work. “Acts like today’s help us to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the marine environment”. The president stressed the importance of collaboration between entities such as Palma Aquarium and public entities and asked for the public’s help in the turtle recovery efforts. “It is a source of joy to return these turtles to their natural habitat, where they should never have left,” said Prohens.

The event was also attended by the director of Natural Environment, Ana Torres; the vice president of COFIB, Antoni Mas; the director of the Palma Aquarium Foundation, Debora Morrison; the director of the Natural Park of Es Trenc, Joan Carles Salom; the head of the Balearic Marine Fauna Stranding Network Project, OCEMIB, of the Palma Aquarium Foundation, Xisca Pujol; the councilman of Environment and Beaches of the Campos Town Hall, Rafel Adrover, and the councilwoman of Ses Covetes of the Campos Town Hall, Maria Obrador.

51 strandings of sea turtles in 2023
This year a total of 51 strandings of sea turtles have been recorded in the Balearic Islands, of which 19 have been found alive and 32 dead. The Palma Aquarium Foundation points out that most of the causes of the stranding of dead turtles are unknown due to the advanced state of decomposition of the animal.

The loggerhead turtle, popularly known as the loggerhead turtle, is the most numerous of those that can be cited in the Mediterranean. In fact, practically all of the specimens rescued belong to this species, which finds one of its main food sources in the Balearic Sea. Interactions with fishing, pollution, maritime traffic and the disturbance of nesting areas are some of the main problems facing sea turtles, despite the fact that the sectors involved in these problems are increasingly sensitive to the conservation of habitats and marine biodiversity.