68 Sea Turtles Born in Mallorca Return to the Sea

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment, taking advantage of World Environment Day, released a total of 68 sea turtles (Caretta caretta) into the sea this Wednesday. These turtles were born during the summer of 2023 in Mallorca.

The president of the Government, Margalida Prohens, along with the minister Joan Simonet, participated in the release of 23 specimens of this species at Can Pere Antoni beach in Palma. These turtles came from the nest detected in this area on June 7, 2023. Simultaneously, 45 turtles were released at Cala Millor. These turtles came from a nest found on July 9, 2023, on this beach.

During the release event, the president of the Government thanked "all the professionals for their work over the past year" and highlighted the "importance of raising public awareness about the protection of the marine and natural environment."

"Due to climate change, the fact that turtles come to lay eggs on our beaches will become commonplace. They are here to stay, so it is essential for citizens to be aware of how to act if they find a nesting turtle or turtle eggs so they can follow the same process as the ones we released today in their natural habitat, the sea," she stated.

Minister Simonet emphasized the importance of public awareness that these nesting events will likely continue in the coming years along the coasts of the Balearic Islands. "Currently, we see that these specimens are moving to areas where it was almost unthinkable for them to reach years ago. The effects of climate change have changed the behavior of this protected species, as this type of turtle never used to nest in our archipelago."

Simonet called for "maximum cooperation from the public" as early detection of nests, nesting females, or hatchlings on the beach is crucial for the species between May and October. "If you detect any of these cases, you should immediately call 112 to activate the attention protocol," the minister stated.

It should be remembered that on June 7, 2023, the first sea turtle nest was found on the island of Mallorca, at Can Pere Antoni beach, where a turtle laid 106 eggs, of which 23 hatchlings became part of the Balearic Islands' Head-Starting program. A month later, on July 9, another nest was found at Cala Millor beach with a total of 82 eggs, from which 67 hatchlings were born. Of these, three died in the first weeks of life, 19 were released into the sea last November, and 45 became part of the Head-Starting program.