The SOS Caretta Project Returns Two Loggerhead Turtles to the Sea in Punta UmbríA
The “SOS Caretta. Fishermen for Biodiversity” project has successfully completed the recovery of two sea turtles that were returned to the sea this Wednesday on the urban beach of Punta Umbría, to the applause of beachgoers, especially children.
The “Hombre y Territorio” Association, promoter of SOS Caretta, in collaboration with the Junta de Andalucía and with support from the Cepsa Foundation, counts on the participation of private organizations such as Seashore Environment and Fauna or Foredunes. The Junta coordinated a release in which the entities and individuals involved in the recovery process of “Rompiera”, a subadult female specimen, and “Rufo”, a young male, participated. The territorial delegate for Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy in Huelva of the Junta de Andalucía, Pedro Yórquez, the mayor of Punta Umbría, José Carlos Hernández Cansino, and the manager of the Seville Aquarium, Rocío Alcázar, are the authorities who took part in the activity.
The rehabilitation of loggerhead turtles begins with rescue by fishermen. “Hombre y Territorio” has generated a support network, which includes the Andalusian Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds and the Andalusian Federation of Fishing Associations and the Andalusian Ports Agency. The guilds currently collaborating with the project are the Virgen del Carmen Fishermen’s Guild of Isla Cristina, the Isla Cristina Shipowners’ Association, the Santo Cristo del Mar Fishermen’s Guild of Punta Umbría, the Fishermen’s Guild of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and the Fishermen’s Guild of Tarifa (Cádiz).
“I want to publicly acknowledge these fishermen who demonstrate great sensitivity with these actions. And also my gratitude to ‘Hombre y Territorio’ and to all the people and organizations that make the recovery of these turtles possible”, stated the territorial delegate for Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy.
The mayor of Punta Umbría stated that “it is a great initiative that combines the work of various administrations and entities for the care and respect of our environment, essential for the maintenance of marine species and for the continuation of fishing activities that make the sector sustainable”.
“Rompiera” and “Rufo” arrived on land in the vessel Nuevo Calipto, from the Santo Cristo Fishermen’s Guild of Punta Umbría. The fishermen from Huelva have rescued 10 of the 45 specimens released within the framework of “SOS Caretta”, two in Isla Cristina and eight in Punta Umbría, with special prominence of this Punta Umbría vessel, which has actively collaborated with the project by saving several of these specimens. The family of the fisherman who carried out both rescues was in charge of depositing Rufo in the sea.
For his part, Manuel Fernández, senior patron of the Santo Cristo del Mar Fishermen’s Guild of Punta Umbría, highlighted that “the power these animals have to bring the need to care for the oceans closer to the population, a responsibility of all, has been made clear. “From the fishing sector, we continue to bet on the sustainability of our activity and collaboration with the project is a reflection of our commitment”, he added.
Beyond improving the survival of rescued animals, the collaboration of the fishing sector is allowing for the expansion of knowledge about the Caretta caretta species. An example of these advances is the specimen “Bonanza”, which was released a year ago on this same beach with a satellite tag. “Since then we have been following its oceanic journey daily. After a few months in the North Atlantic, it has returned to Andalusia, entered the Mediterranean, and is currently heading towards the Balearic Islands. We can thus provide new data for science that will help improve the conservation of these species and coexistence with human activities at sea,” said Patricio Peñalver, coordinator of the SOS Caretta project.
The turtles are transferred to the Andalusian Marine Environment Management Centers (Cegma) after rescue, in this case to the one in Algeciras, and there they receive treatments and care from veterinarians. If necessary, as has happened with “Rompiera” and “Rufo”, they are subsequently taken to the Seville Aquarium to complete the musculation period before their release, also under the care of specialists. The sea turtles released in Punta Umbría have spent almost two months in the facilities of the Muelle de las Delicias in the Sevillian capital.
“Seeing how more and more people are committed to these types of projects, we can think that we are on the right track to reverse the situation that this millenary species is experiencing. Restoring the state of the oceans is everyone’s task.”, Rocío Alcázar has declared.
“Here We Save Turtles” Campaign
After the release, qualified staff from the Seville Aquarium carried out a citizen awareness action to initiate the outreach campaign “Here We Save Turtles”. This project, which aims to inform citizens about how to act in the presence of a sea turtle, began in 2019 in the Valencian Community by the Oceanogràfic Foundation. It has been growing, with the Azul Marino Foundation and Palma Aquarium Foundation joining and expanding to the Balearic Islands and the Region of Murcia, until this summer, when the Seville Aquarium has joined with the participation of Andalusian localities, and now there are 80 municipalities adhered to the campaign.
This action, which has the collaboration of the Andalusian Government and the Andalusian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FAMP), is possible thanks to the collaboration of regional governments and coastal city councils, which support the outreach action to protect these animals during the nesting season through different posters installed on urban furniture. The posters will be located at the points of greatest concurrence and visibility to inform bathers and travelers of the presence of sea turtles on the Mediterranean coasts and that, in case of a sighting, it is necessary to call 112 to activate the Stranding Network.
The campaign begins in Punta Umbría, one of the participating municipalities of Andalusia, and will continue throughout the summer period with activities on the beaches of the participating municipalities, which are Garrucha, Mojácar and Níjar (Almería); Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Nerja, Rincón de la Victoria and Vélez-Málaga (Málaga); Chipiona, La Línea de la Concepción, El Puerto de Santa María and San Fernando (Cádiz) and Cartaya, Punta Umbría and Mazagón (Huelva).