New Campaign to Collect Information on the Triton and Noble Pen Shell in the Balearic Islands

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment, through the Species Protection Service of the Directorate General of Natural Environment, has launched a new campaign to promote the collection of information on the Triton (Charonia lampas) and the noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis) through citizen collaboration. This effort is part of the ARES II (Wild Species Recovery Actions) project by the Government and is supported by SEO/BirdLife, SOLDECOCOS, and GEN-GOB.

This campaign was previously conducted in 2020, 2022, and 2023, during which valuable data on Tritons and noble pen shells were provided by diving centers and the fishing sector. In this regard, Minister Joan Simonet emphasized that "with this new edition, the aim is to encourage citizen participation to locate these threatened species and improve information on their locations and population status."

The plan aims to recover the noble pen shell and conserve the Triton and the mollusk Dendropoma lebeche, which are the three marine invertebrate species in the Balearic Islands classified as "threatened." The actions to be undertaken are aimed at collecting data and completing information to monitor the population trends of these species.

Thanks to the actions carried out in recent years, a network of collaborators has been established, including the fishing sector, research institutes, diving centers and clubs, various NGOs, and other volunteers who contribute their observations and knowledge about these species.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment is calling for public collaboration. Therefore, they request that if anyone observes a Triton or noble pen shell, they report it to the Species Protection Service via email at especies@dgmedinatural.caib.es, by phone at 971 176 586, or through WhatsApp at 606 87 52 44.