During the sunrise of Saturday, 14th July, volunteers of ARCHELON recorded over than twenty traces of tiny Caretta caretta hatchlings having found their way to the sea in the Laconian Gulf of Selinitsa beach.

The hatchlings head for the water, following the moon’s reflection on the sea. They are disorientated if there’s superficial light in the places they move, which lead to their death of dehydration and reduction of the possibilities that they ‘ll obtain their population in the Mediterranean Sea. Superficial lights on the beaches disorientate not only the hatchlings that try to reach the sea, but also the adult females, when they appear to lay their eggs.

As soon as the very first hatching takes place for the current year (2018), we kindly ask the cmdg. officers to switch the lights off during the night on those beaches. Should the superficial light be decreased, moon’s and star’s reflections on the surface of the sea will safely lead the hatchlings to their destination. We kindly remind you that man’s presence on the nesting beaches can terrify not only the _Caretta caretta_s who are going to lay their eggs there, but also their babies reaching for the sea! Therefore, the flashlights and fire-layings during the night on the beaches is highly inadvisable.

ARCHELON’s volunteers are available on a daily basis from 05:30’ in the info station of Mavrovouni on the nesting beaches. Stay tuned, because the hatched nests are going to get publicly excavated in a while, during which you ‘ll be able to learn more about the Caretta caretta!

Info:

Management Body of Mount Parnon and Moustos Wetland, Mr. Argirios Boghlis, MB Coordinator, tel.: +30 27550 22021, ampoglis@fdparnonas.gr, www.fdparnonas.gr.

ARCHELON. Polymnia Nestoridou, South Peloponnese Project Coordinator, tel.: +30 6951 009 785, southpelop@archelon.gr.

(translation: Maria Argyro Dermitzakis)