This Sunday the first sea turtle hatchlings were recorded in the nest that has been incubating on the beach of Can Pere Antoni since the 7th of June. This was reported by the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment, through the Species Protection Service of the Directorate General of Natural Spaces and Biodiversity, and the Consortium for the Recovery of Fauna of the Balearic Islands (COFIB).

The director general of the Natural Environment, Anna Torres, explained that “climate change is causing the behaviour of species to change, and this affects their migration and nesting. As a result, they are moving to areas that were not common in the past”. It should be noted that this type of turtle has never laid its eggs in the Balearic Islands. The first case was in 2019, in Eivissa.

The first hatching took place this Sunday; specifically, the first one occurred at 11:00; the rest took place from 21:00 and during the early hours of Sunday to Monday. The volunteer team guarding the nest has been able to confirm the presence of 12 sea turtle hatchlings that emerged from inside the nest after 61 days since they were laid on the beach of Palma on the 7th of June. These specimens have been transferred to the IRFAP-LIMIA facilities in Port d’Andratx, where the COFIB’s Marine Fauna Department will be in charge of assessing their condition and their care and breeding until the time of their reintroduction to the sea.

The sea turtles hatched in the Balearic nests will form part of the Head Starting programme, in accordance with the national strategy for the species and in collaboration with other autonomous communities. This strategy consists of a breeding programme in a controlled artificial environment for 10 to 12 months. Thanks to this programme, the chances of survival of these animals once they are returned to the sea are exponentially increased.

4 active nests

It should be remembered that this is the first sea turtle nest that has been registered on the island of Mallorca and in the whole of Spain during 2023. There are now 5 active nests during the 2023 season in the Balearic Islands. The other 4 are on the beach of Cala Millor, Mallorca, and on the beaches of Es Figueral, Santa Eulària des Riu and Salinas, in Eivissa.