One of the Turtles Recovered by the Oceanogràfic is Now Moving through the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the turtles recovered by the Oceanogràfic is now moving through the Atlantic Ocean.

• The other reptiles released into the sea are located along the Valencian coast and the central Mediterranean.
• The Oceanogràfic Foundation tracks the rehabilitated animals in the ARCA by satellite, and the data collected allows for the study of the species’ life.

Valencia, July 19, 2017

Thanks to a device placed on its shell, the scientists at the Oceanogràfic have been able to track, via satellite, the trajectory of the sea turtles that returned to the sea last April, and one of them, named “Ona”, is currently crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The other animals continue to travel along the Mediterranean coast, while “Margarita” and “Saguntina” are already near the Italian island of Sardinia.

After recovering in the ARCA del Mar (Sea ARCA) of the Oceanogràfic Foundation, the turtles of the species Caretta caretta, commonly known as loggerhead turtles, returned to the sea and have already traveled to different points in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, as can be seen in the latest position map.

The data collected during these months by the researchers serves to understand the area where the turtles’ life develops and to know the survival status of the species after its recovery in the aquarium managed by Avanqua, belonging to Global Omnium.

In addition, this advance in technology allows us to follow the trajectory of the turtles during their migrations and study their exact distribution, as well as other aspects of their biology that are very complicated to analyze.

The device is released after one year.

This monitoring is carried out through ARGOS, a pioneering system for locating and collecting data by satellite, which, thanks to the device installed on the chelonian, periodically updates its trajectory.

The system incorporated in the shell provides detailed information on the location of the animal. When the turtles surface to breathe, the mechanism emits the signal that is recorded.

After one year, the device is automatically released and offers all the data for further study.

The ARCA del Mar (Sea ARCA)

The Oceanogràfic’s ARCA del Mar, where the turtles have been recovering for the past few months, is the center where marine animals rescued by the Stranding Network of the Valencian Community are cared for, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Environment, Climate Change and Rural Development and the University of Valencia.

The most common reasons for admission to the ARCA are the ingestion of plastics, collision with boats and accidental fishing, so the collaboration of fishermen in recent years has been crucial for the success of the Stranding Network. A simple call to 112 can also save the lives of animals.