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A group of 30 young loggerhead turtles was released back into the Mediterranean on Wednesday June 19, at Ensenada del Esparto beach at kilometre 15 of La Manga, marking another milestone in the Region of Murcia’s growing turtle conservation efforts.

 

Regional president Fernando López Miras, who attended the release alongside the mayor of San Javier, José Miguel Luengo, said, “The turtles are being returned to their habitat from the same beach where the eggs hatched and have been cared for for an entire year with great care and affection, until they were able to return to the sea and live in freedom.”

 

The turtles came from a nest laid on the beach on July 23 last year, discovered by a member of the public who notified the authorities. A coordinated effort followed, involving environmental officers, the El Valle Wildlife Recovery Centre, San Javier Local Police, Civil Protection, and volunteers from the Territorio Tortuga association. The nest was successfully relocated and carefully guarded throughout the summer.

 

After hatching, the turtles were placed into a controlled rearing programme to improve their survival chances once released into the wild. Around twenty were cared for at the Imida Marine Aquaculture Station in San Pedro del Pinatar, while others went to specialist centres in Valencia, Mallorca and Barcelona, where they took part in a wider Mediterranean study. 

 

This is the fifth year in a row that loggerhead turtles have hatched along the Murcian coast, with 93 births last year and 51 in 2023. Smaller clutches also successfully hatched in 2019 and 2020.

 

The project forms part of the CAMEMMUR initiative (a regional conservation project studying threats to turtles and dolphins) to better understand the threats faced by marine life in the region. It is supported by Spain’s Biodiversity Foundation and funded by the European Union through its Next Generation plan.

 

Loggerhead turtles are listed as a vulnerable species in Spain and are considered endangered internationally, making efforts like these crucial to their long-term survival.

 

The Region’s protected natural spaces have also issued a reminder that loggerhead turtle nesting season has begun and the public could once again witness nesting events along the coast. They advise, “If you find tracks, do not touch anything and call 112. If you see a turtle, avoid being seen, do not shine any light on it, keep a distance of at least 20 metres, and call 112.”

 

 

Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartegena