From late June until early August 2021, a small team of ARCHELON recorded 299 sea turtles in Amvrakikos Gulf and installed satellite transmitters on 5 adult males of them. Many thanks to our volunteers for making it happen! This activity was carried out within the framework of the project "Conservation of Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean Region». Many thanks to the MAVA Foundation for funding the project.

One of the special features of this summer is the great interest of the public for the sporadic nests of sea turtle that are made in different parts of the Greek coastline, from the south i.e. Rhodes, Sitia, Naxos, Paros to Corfu, Volos and Epanomi in the north of Greece. So what does sporadic sea turtle nesting mean?

The first generations of ARCHELON volunteers experienced how the nesting beaches in Zakynthos, Kyparissia, Lakonikos, Rethymno, Chania, Messara used to look like back in the 80’s and the 90’s. The volunteers of the years to follow, including the children of ARCHELON’s first volunteers, have heard the stories and have seen tourism evolving in these sites. But why is the future of tourism important for sea turtles?

The ARCHELON Sea Turtle Rescue Centre near Athens, Greece, receives and treats injured or sick sea turtles all year around and releases them back to the sea when they are fully recovered. Experienced staff are running the Centre with the help of volunteers from all over the world. Three ESC volunteers share their experience with the sea turtles and the efforts to protect oceans and marine life.

Artificial lights on sea turtle nesting beaches or behind them cause hatchling disorientation and eventually their death. Read more on how ARCHELON helps mitigate this problem, what to do if you find an unprotected nest or hatchlings and where to find us this summer. 

To see “Ella” safely return back to Kalo Nero, in Kyparissia Bay, where it was tagged in 2019 by an ARCHELON team led by Alan F. Rees, is something to celebrate for. We had the great luck to observe this sea turtle throughout its migration between two reproductive periods in the Mediterranean!

The project was extended for four months as the pandemic caused many delays and difficulties in carrying out actions for most partners. ARCHELON is the Greek partner of this project, collaborating with the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy and local bodies, and is heading towards the completion of the actions that have been foreseen.
 

A tribute to the 7 species of sea turtles and their greatest threats.
 

The protection measures announced by ARCHELON a few months ago will continue to apply for participants in this year's programs at the nesting beaches and the Rescue Center, even for those who have been vaccinated against the virus.

The update of the sea turtle stranding database of ARCHELON has just been completed with the 700 reports of dead animals stranded in 2020. The local Coast Guards are responsible for the official recording of strandings in Greece, as well as for the notification of the Municipal Authority that takes care of their sanitary disposal.

Sights of dead sea turtles from many spots of coastal Greece are often published in the media. Apart from cases of intentional injury by humans that are more obvious and usually isolated, the main question of public concern is whether sea turtle deaths are related to natural causes or anthropogenic activities.

We managed to get through last year, and we are still holding on! You were there with us on this difficult course due to the pandemic, and we always want you by our side!

This year's double online event (in Greek and English separately) hosted the presentation of the results of the projects of last year and ended with recognizing that the physical presence of researchers / volunteers was the most valuable and hard-to-find asset in 2020.

Members of the ARCHELON Association were invited to attend the Annual General Meeting on February 20, 2021, in accordance to its Statutes.

The largest percentage of turtles admitted in 2020 suffered from intentional head or shell injury. See more…