World Sea Turtle Day: We can all live together!
Today, June 16th, we celebrate World Sea Turtle Day, a day dedicated to these ancient and magnificent creatures that are an integral part of our seas. On this occasion, ARCHELON expresses its warmest thanks to all citizens, volunteers, donors and supporters who actively contribute to our work to protect sea turtles in Greece. The public's contribution to the effort to preserve sea turtles is enormous and decisive.
Special mention goes to all active citizens who report dead or injured turtles to ARCHELON's 24-hour Rescue Line.
ARCHELON began the effort to record incidents of dead turtles washing up on Greek shores in 1992, establishing the National Sea Turtle Rescue Network. Every year, ARCHELON receives phone calls, messages and reports from citizens and local Port Authorities across the country, along with photographs and other information about sea turtle strandings. This way, in 2024, we recorded 1,044 dead turtles on the Greek coastline, while already halfway through 2025, we have recorded 481 more incidents.
ARCHELON staff systematically examine each stranding report, with the aim of assessing the threats facing sea turtles by region. The results of long-term recordings reveal that the causes of turtle deaths are mainly related to accidental capture in fishing gear, ingestion of plastics and collisions with high-speed boats.
The Rescue Network is also activated in cases of reports of injured or sick turtles. In collaboration with citizens and local port authorities, animals in need of care are transferred to the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre that ARCHELON has set up in Glyfada, Attica since 1994. There, staff and trained volunteers provide care and treatment to the animals until their successful recovery and return to the sea. Citizens’ timely reports have saved dozens of lives.
We are only halfway through 2025 and the Rescue Centre has already received:
- 15 injured/sick turtles
- 39 volunteers from Greece and abroad
- 140 symbolic adoptions of sea turtles by visitors
“On this World Sea Turtle Day, we feel deep gratitude for the selfless contribution and dedication of all those who stand by our side,” says ARCHELON Director Daphne Mavrogiorgos. “Their love for nature and their practical support gives us the strength to continue our work with the same dedication. Protecting sea turtles is a collective effort, and every action, small or large, makes a difference.”
We can live together, this has been ARCHELON’s motto since 1983!
- If you encounter an injured or dead sea turtle in Greece, please call the Rescue Number immediately (+30)69 41 511 511.
- If you find a nest or baby turtles, fill out the Form.
Enjoy the Beaches Responsibly: Together We Protect the Sea Turtles of Kyparissia Bay!
New Adaptation Strategies for Sea Turtles and Mediterranean Monk Seals
RECENT NEWS
- OUR NEWS31/07/2025
ATTENTION! Please do not feed sea turtles – They are not pets- Protect them from human induced impacts
ARCHELON informs that the phenomenon of feeding sea turtles by people in coastal areas, ports and tourist spots has been observed in recent years. Despite good intentions, this practice causes serious problems – for turtles and for people alike.
- OUR NEWS25/07/2025
New Info Station in Kyparissia Opens for LIFE MareNatura Project
Located at the beachfront of the town, the Info Station operates daily 18:30 - 21:00.
- OUR NEWS21/07/2025
Public Excavations of Sea Turtle Nests in Crete
The excavations are open for both kids and adults and take place on the nesting beaches of Rethymno, Chania, and the Messara Bay during the months of August and September.
- OUR NEWS21/07/2025
Public Excavations of Sea Turtle Nests in the Peloponnese
The excavations are open for both kids and adults and take place on the nesting beaches of Kyparissia Bay, Romanos, Koroni and Lakonikos Bay during the months of August and September.
- OUR NEWS16/07/2025
Earlier than ever before was the start of the 2025 Hatching Season of Loggerheads in Greece – The first hatchlings have reached the sea!
We are excited to announce the beginning of the 2025 sea turtle hatching season, with the earliest hatching event ever recorded since monitoring began in 1984.
- OUR NEWS15/07/2025
Important presentations at the 16th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions (ICZEGAR)
ARCHELON actively contributed to the Congress with three oral presentations, highlighting key aspects of its scientific and conservation work for sea turtles.
- OUR NEWS02/07/2025
Citizen Science: Recording of Sporadic Nesting of Sea turtles across the Aegean
For over four decades, many people have been reporting turtle sightings and tracks across the Greek coastline. Thanks to them, we have confirmed 577 unique nesting events outside our regularly monitored areas
- OUR NEWS01/07/2025
Satellite Tagging Completed and Captured on Film in Crete
ARCHELON has just successfully completed the 2025 deployment of satellite transmitters on Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) in Crete, as part of the ongoing LIFE MareNatura Project. This year’s work in Crete was extra special: the LIFE MareNatura Documentary team joined us in the field!
- OUR NEWS23/06/2025
Enjoy the Beaches Responsibly: Together We Protect the Sea Turtles of Kyparissia Bay!
So far, more than 2,000 nests have been recorded in the area. In order to best manage the protected beaches, we have adapted our field work protocols.
- OUR NEWS10/06/2025
New Adaptation Strategies for Sea Turtles and Mediterranean Monk Seals
Institutions, associations and researchers will work for 5 years alongside the coastal communities to evaluate and respond to the effects of rising sea levels and ocean warming. These are to be developed through the ‘LIDE ADAPTS’ project which is being carried out in Italy, Greece and Cyprus.
- OUR NEWS08/06/2025
World Oceans Day: Conservation and Anthropogenic “Wounds” in Laganas Bay, Zakynthos
On the occasion of World Oceans Day, ARCHELON brings to the fore the challenges facing Laganas Bay, Zakynthos - one of the most important refuges of the loggerhead sea turtle in the Mediterranean.
- OUR NEWS06/06/2025
Sekania: History of the most precious refuge for the Loggerhead in Zakynthos
Sekania, a secluded 600-meter-long beach in Zakynthos, is a global model of success in biodiversity conservation, with more than 24,000 sea turtle nests recorded over the last 40 years.
- OUR NEWS05/06/2025
World Environment Day: Keeping Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches Safe from Plastics and Bulldozers
On June 5th, we celebrate World Environment Day, a day established by the United Nations in 1972. This year’s theme is #BeatPlasticPollution, and ARCHELON is calling for action on the sea turtle nesting beaches.
- OUR NEWS02/06/2025
Sea Turtles Return to Crete: A Shared Victory for Nature and Sustainable Travel
ARCHELON volunteers have just located the first sea turtle nests of the season on the beaches of Rethymno, Messara, and Chania. Now the challenge to prove that tourism destinations on Crete can make a significant move towards sustainability is on again.
- OUR NEWS29/05/2025
Amvrakikos Project 2025: 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.