17/09/2021

Looking for male sea turtles in Amvrakikos Gulf

The data and knowledge available about the movements of male sea turtles in the Mediterranean is still limited today. ARCHELON has been trying to fill this gap in recent years. This year, the small group of volunteers with Hugo Baron as field leader and Joyce Rapiteau, Leo Cormary, Holly Smith-Baedorf, Eleanor Goodsell as members, managed to place 5 satellite transmitters on adult male turtles found in Amvrakikos Gulf. Τhe movements of the turtles and their migration corridors can now be seen on a map, following the daily signal of the transmitters, the movements of the turtles and their future migrations can now be seen on a map on ARCHELON’s website.

psaxnontas-tis-arsenikes-thalassies-xelwnes-ston-ambrakiko-kolpo-mava_amvrakikos_1.jpg

"The transmitters were placed on adults, with a minimum tail length of 25 cm", says Nikoletta Sidiropoulou, marine biologist who is the Project manager for the projects in Amvrakikos Gulf. During this year's program, a total of 299 sea turtles were captured and released within a few minutes, in order to tag them with a special identification mark and record the characteristics of the animals. "The results of the daily and long-term field work of ARCHELON volunteers are fascinating and will contribute to the enhancement of scientific knowledge about the movements and migration of sea turtles", she continues.

psaxnontas-tis-arsenikes-thalassies-xelwnes-ston-ambrakiko-kolpo-mava_amvrakikos_2.jpg

The shallow waters of Amvrakikos Gulf in northwestern Greece, are one of the most important feeding grounds for sea turtles in Greece. This valuable ecosystem, which includes wetlands of international importance, hosts not only Loggerheads but also Green turtles.

The first projects of ARCHELON in this site began in 2000 and have continued uninterruptedly since then. Satellite tagging of male sea turtles started in Amvrakikos in 2020, within the framework of the project "Conservation of Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean Region" and continued there in 2021.

One of the surprises of this summer is that, for the third year, we identified 2 turtles which had been tagged in Italy. "This is why international and European legislation exists and transnational cooperation is required in the efforts to conserve migratory animals, such as sea turtles" comments Panagiota Theodorou, Coordinator of Legal and Institutional Issues of ARCHELON, who is responsible for the overall implementation of the project.

psaxnontas-tis-arsenikes-thalassies-xelwnes-ston-ambrakiko-kolpo-mava_amvrakikos_3.jpg

The activities of placing satellite transmitters and tagging adult male animals is expected to continue in the spring of 2022. The project "Conservation of Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean Region” is funded by the MAVA Foundation.

RECENT NEWS

  1. OUR NEWS
    26/06/2024

    Sea Turtles Surprise us: if you see tracks on the beach, help ARCHELON's research!

    Not all beaches on Greece's extensive coastline are suitable for sea turtle nesting, but sometimes these marine reptiles surprise us! This summer, ARCHELON is asking for your help to investigate a phenomenon called "sporadic nesting".

    Read more
  2. OUR NEWS
    17/06/2024

    ATTENTION! Sea turtles are not pets: Do not touch them or feed them!

    In areas where a sea turtle associates human presence with food, it’s behavior changes. The turtle treats humans as well as other turtles as competitors in its feeding grounds and tries to drive them away with bites.

    Read more
  3. OUR NEWS
    16/06/2024

    30 Years of Hope: The Sea Turtle Rescue Centre of ARCHELON Celebrates World Sea Turtle Day

    Every year on June 16th, we celebrate World Sea Turtle Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about these magnificent creatures and the threats they face. This year is particularly important for ARCHELON, as the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre marks 30 years of operation.

    Read more
  4. OUR NEWS
    13/06/2024

    Poster contest for children and young adults: Welcome the 2024 turtle hatchlings on the beaches!

    Watercolors, markers, collage, computer, phone? Everything is useful. Use your creativity and imagination to make an A3 or A4 size poster announcing that the 2024 sea turtle eggs are about to hatch.

    Read more
  5. OUR NEWS
    17/05/2024

    Amvrakikos Project 2024: Special Call for a Field Leader

    ARCHELON is looking for a highly motivated person to lead its project in Amvrakikos Gulf, one of the few foraging sites for loggerhead turtles in Greece linking several populations nesting across the Mediterranean region.

    Read more
  6. OUR NEWS
    16/05/2024

    Τhe nesting of loggerhead sea turtles started earlier this year and the effects of the climate crisis on the oceans are worrying

    For the first time, in the 40 years of ARCHELON records, the first sea turtle nest was found in Laganas Gulf, Zakythos on May 10th. Scientific predictions of the nesting season moving earlier in the spring due to climate change are being confirmed.

    Read more
  7. OUR NEWS
    14/05/2024

    Save Turtles, See Greece on a Budget

    Dreaming of pristine Greek beaches and a chance to make a real difference? Here's why June and September are the perfect months to volunteer with sea turtle conservation efforts in Greece!

    Read more
  8. OUR NEWS
    02/05/2024

    Sea Turtle Festival for Kids 2024

    Save the date! On Saturday 18 May at 11:00, the ARCHELON Rescue Centre opens its doors to welcome young and old sea turtle friends who want to celebrate, explore, learn, play and travel magically in the Mediterranean Sea. We are waiting for you to strengthen our message for a better and sustainable planet!

    Read more
  9. OUR NEWS
    02/05/2024

    A successful year for the International Sea Turtle Symposium

    The International Sea Turtle Symposium concluded triumphantly this March in Pattaya, Thailand, with ARCHELON actively participating.

    Read more
  10. OUR NEWS
    29/04/2024

    A Morning Beach Patrol with ARCHELON

    The camera lens of Stefanos and Maria of SteMajourneys caught a rare sight in the early morning: a Loggerhead sea turtle nesting! The volunteers in Chania took action right away to protect the nest.

    Read more
  11. OUR NEWS
    26/04/2024

    Protecting sea turtles in Rethymno- Our Ocean, an Ocean of Potential

    The 9th International Conference "Our Ocean", which was held in Athens from April 15 to 17, was successfully completed. ARCHELON had the honor to actively take part in the conference and hosted a side event.

    Read more
  12. OUR NEWS
    12/04/2024

    Coordination for the protection of sea turtles in Rethymno: Local authorities and tourism businesses join forces

    The meeting, which took place on April 5, 2024, in the building of the Regional Unit of Rethymno, touched upon key issues, such as the observance of conservation measures for the protection of the Loggerhead sea turtle. Given the tourist activity on the nesting beaches, the active participation of the tourism sector in the implementation of the measures is necessary.

    Read more
  13. OUR NEWS
    10/04/2024

    "Tourists and turtles?" The environmental awareness campaign of ARCHELON spreads to the nesting beaches of the Loggerhead sea turtle

    After the pandemic, ARCHELON - the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece - is once again mobilizing on the path to sustainable tourism. The aim of the new campaign is to provide information on the appropriate code of conduct for visitors to all nesting beaches, in cooperation with the tourism sector.

    Read more
  14. OUR NEWS
    04/04/2024

    LIFE MareNatura - The largest marine biodiversity program in Greece

    Read more
  15. OUR NEWS
    03/04/2024

    Citizens inform us of sea turtle strandings

    ARCHELON started the effort to record the incidents of dead turtles washing up on the Greek shores in 1992. In recent years there has been an increase in these records which may be due to more of our fellow citizens reporting such incidents. Learn more…

    Read more
1 out of 0
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Learn about our latest actions and find out about our programs and how you can help sea turtles!