A team from the Cavanilles Institute participates in the return of 80 turtles to the sea

The University of Valencia coordinates the team of specialists who study and protect loggerhead turtles in the Valencian Community. An initiative that this October has returned to the sea 80 turtles from nests laid last year on different Valencian beaches. Jesús Tomás, professor of the Department of Zoology and researcher of the Marine Zoology Unit of the Cavanilles Institute, who coordinates the study of nesting of this species, within the Varacomval project, confirms the growing presence of the species on the Spanish Mediterranean coast, in which the Valencian Community stands out in terms of detection of nests and nesting events

During this month of October, the largest release of turtles has taken place in Denia, with 30 specimens. In Almassora 22 turtles have been returned to the sea. In Santa Pola there were 17 and in Elche, 9. This Thursday two more will be released in Gandia. The animals that are now returned to the beaches were rescued from nests laid the previous year.

The Valencian coast was not their usual breeding place, but climate change facilitates their survival on our beaches. This is a threatened species with a low life expectancy: it is estimated that only one or two out of every thousand will reach adulthood. Although a mother deposits about 300 eggs per season on the beaches, not all of them will survive, so it is necessary to take measures for their protection.

After the nine nests detected, studied and protected in 2023 in the Valencian Community, the Marine Zoology Unit (UZM) of the Cavanilles Institute of the University of Valencia (ICBiBE), located at the University of Valencia Science Park, has detected, studied and protected eight new nests in 2024. In addition, a dead hatchling was detected on a beach in Sueca, which is being studied to see if it belongs to the Valencia nest or if it is a ninth nest, and a turtle observed in previous years that visits almost every year the beaches of Torrevieja and Orihuela trying to nest unsuccessfully, possibly due to some deficiency of its own.

The nesting of this species has experienced in 2024 a decrease compared to 2023, with only 12 nests detected to date throughout the Mediterranean coast. The surprising thing about the 2024 season is that eight of these 12 nests have been located in the Valencian Community.

Some of these nesting events have been reported by individuals through calls to 112, according to the current protocol; but others have been reported directly to the UZM by environmental protection services and beach cleaning services of the municipalities, which have turned to help in the protection of this species. This collaboration has been achieved thanks to awareness campaigns. In addition, this year the University team has carried out night patrols of beaches, which have allowed them to find two of the nesting turtles in the act of laying their eggs.

The nesting of this species has experienced in 2024 a decrease compared to 2023, with only 12 nests detected to date throughout the Mediterranean coast. The surprising thing about the 2024 season is that eight of these 12 nests have been located in the Valencian Community

The effective coordination by the University of Valencia of the Network of Strandings of the Valencian Community has been essential to detect and attend to all the nests on the Valencian coast. Once the warning was received, together with the University of Valencia team, specialists and technicians from different institutions ( Polytechnic University of Valencia, Oceanogràfic Foundation and NGO Xaloc) went to the nesting sites to study the nesting specimens and protect, if necessary, the nests. In addition, the UZM team has collaborated with the Polytechnic in the placement of three satellite transmitters in three of the nesting females for remote monitoring after laying their eggs.

The care of the nests has been a joint effort between various entities, being an example of collaboration between the public and private sectors. Together with the aforementioned entities, Territorio Natura-Torrevieja, Ecologistas en Acción-Elche, el Parador de El Saler, Fundación Biodiversidad and the town councils of Dénia, Elche and Torrevieja have played fundamental roles in the management of the nests. Other town councils, such as Guardamar del Segura and Benidorm, have shown their support this new season.

The Dénia City Council took advantage of the release of 30 turtles, on October 5, to give recognition to the University of Valencia professor Jesús Tomás.

Each discovered nest can hold 60 to 130 eggs, of which 75% usually hatch. Protocol dictates that most are kept on the beach. “They are allowed to go out to sea to respect the natural processes,” says Tomás. But there are 20-25% of the eggs, which end up in the Oceanogràfic's facilities, where they spend a few months before being returned to the sea.