TURTLE STRANDINGS HIT A RECORD IN 2008!
by Dimitris Margaritoulis and Pavlos Tsaros
Today the Network operates in full development, but there is always room for improvements. Members of the Network are all Coast Guard Stations which constitute its backbone and also municipalities, environmental organizations, groups of citizens, and many concerned individuals. Main objective of the Network is the reliable collection of information concerning deaths and injuries of sea turtles, aiming at mitigating the causing factors.
How the Network operates Observed strandings are reported by the network members with the filling of a special data sheet where the gender, size, and sex of the turtle are noted as well as other information (injuries, if the turtle is tagged, etc.). Network members inform always the local Coast Guard Station which calls the state vet to examine the cause of death and the local municipality to bury the dead animal. Data sheets are transmitted to the Rescue Centre where they are entered in a database and further analysed with GIS. Obviously in case of an injured turtle the communication with the Rescue Centre is immediate in order to arrange for the animalʼs transport to the Centre. Information of what you should do in case you encounter an injured or dead turtle you can find in http://www.archelon.gr/eng/nationalnetwork.php?row=row9
The results The annual number of strandings (only the dead turtles) for the period 1994-2008 is shown on the graph below.
In the period 1994-2001 there is an upward trend with a maximum in 2001. However, this increase can be attributed – at least partly - to the increase of the networkʼs members and the raising of public awareness during this period. We shouldnʼt forget that sensitized citizens are mainly the ones who, in case they encounter a stranded turtle, inform either the local Coast Guard or the Rescue Centre.
From the graph it is seen that the period 2001-2004 is characterized by a continuous decrease until 2004. Here it should be noted that in this period ARCHELON was doing great efforts to inform and sensitize fishermen throughout Greece. These efforts, materialized through a diversity of actions, were co-financed by a European project aiming to reduce turtle mortalities at sea (LIFE/NAT/GR8500). This project has recently been declared as one of the most successful in European level.
Further, from 2004 until 2008 there is a continuous increase in the annual number of strandings with a peak of 292 strandings during 2008 (increase from 2004: 126%!).
What should be done It is clear that many turtles are captured incidentally in fishing gear. Internationally there are efforts to reduce these entanglements. Some countries have enforced the Turtle Excluder Device (TED), a device which automatically releases turtles captured in trawl nets. There is also ongoing research for the introduction of a new type of hook, the circle hook, which does not catch as many turtles as the conventional ones, in surface long-lines targeting tunas and swordfish. It is very difficult to do anything technical to reduce turtle by-catch in small-scale fisheries using static nets, bottom long-lines and beach seines. These widespread fishing gear will continue to catch turtles and some of them will inevitably die because they would not be able to breathe. Nevertheless the ones who survive the capture should be immediately released unharmed by the fishermen.
Sea turtles play important ecological roles in the marine ecosystem; in their diet they include jellyfish and crabs, both of which if their populations grow uncontrolled, may cause problems not only to the ecosystem but also to the fishermen. Many fishers have understood that a healthy sea cannot contain only first-class fish! All marine organisms play their role in a complex food web, through which the fish are also developed. For instance, in Amvrakikos Bay the many crabs create problems to local fishermen and the turtles in the Bay, feeding on crabs, contribute to the preservation of the ecological balance.
29th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation
Again this year ARCHELON is present at Thessalonikiʼs Documentary Festival
RECENT NEWS
- OUR NEWS15/07/2024
Ecotourism in Peloponnese and Crete: Explore a Loggerhead sea turtle nesting beach
ARCHELON offers a unique ecological experience for the lucky and aware travelers who will find themselves this summer on important Loggerhead sea turtle nesting beaches that the Association protects.
- OUR NEWS26/06/2024
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".
- OUR NEWS17/06/2024
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.
- OUR NEWS16/06/2024
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.
- OUR NEWS13/06/2024
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.
- OUR NEWS17/05/2024
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.
- OUR NEWS16/05/2024
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.
- OUR NEWS14/05/2024
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!
- OUR NEWS02/05/2024
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!
- OUR NEWS02/05/2024
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.
- OUR NEWS29/04/2024
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.
- OUR NEWS26/04/2024
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.
- OUR NEWS12/04/2024
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.
- OUR NEWS10/04/2024
"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.
- OUR NEWS04/04/2024
LIFE MareNatura - The largest marine biodiversity program in Greece