The Oceanogràfic Foundation and the Santa Pola Sea Museum Collaborate to Strengthen the Protection of the Mediterranean.

The Oceanogràfic Foundation and the Santa Pola Sea Museum have formalized a collaboration agreement aimed at promoting shared projects and initiatives for marine conservation, research, environmental education in schools, scientific outreach workshops, and actions for the rescue and protection of marine species.

The Oceanogràfic Foundation, with extensive experience in the recovery and conservation of marine fauna, will contribute its scientific and technical knowledge, while the Santa Pola Sea Museum, a benchmark in the dissemination of maritime and natural heritage, will contribute from its field to strengthen educational, awareness, and conservation actions in the territory.

Both institutions agree that this alliance opens new opportunities to strengthen the collaboration network in defense of the biodiversity of the Mediterranean.

The agreement was formalized yesterday, Monday, in an event held at the Santa Pola Sea Museum with the transfer of a sea turtle recovered in the Sea Animal Recovery and Conservation Area (ARCA) of the Oceanogràfic. The animal will remain in one of the museum’s conditioned facilities to complete the last phase of muscle strengthening before returning to the sea soon.

The turtle was born last year in one of the nests registered in the Valencian Community within the Head Starting program. After successfully completing the controlled breeding phase, it entered the sea.

However, a few months ago it was accidentally captured by a fishing gear and transferred to the ARCA del Mar of the Oceanogràfic (CACSA – GVA), where it received veterinary care until completing its first phases of recovery.

From yesterday, the process will be completed in Santa Pola, where it will also serve as an ambassador for its species to raise public awareness about the challenges facing sea turtles in the Mediterranean before returning to the sea again.

The arrival of this turtle to the aquarium marks the beginning of the collaboration between both entities, which aspires to generate a positive and lasting impact on the protection of the oceans and their species.

The turtle will also be the protagonist of a participatory campaign on social networks of the Santa Pola Museum in which citizens can choose its name, with the aim of fostering the link between the animal and society and reinforcing the role of the community in marine conservation.

The event held yesterday in Santa Pola was attended by authorities from the municipality, such as the Deputy Mayor, José Pedro Martínez, the Councilor for the Environment, Ángel Piedecausa, and the Councilor for Culture, Nely Baile, as well as technicians and biologists from the Oceanogràfic and its Foundation.

“The agreement with the Santa Pola Sea Museum is a step forward in the strategy of territorial cooperation for marine conservation, adding efforts and complementary experiences,” said Leocadia García-Bartual, director of the Oceanogràfic Foundation.

For his part, Ángel Piedecausa stressed that “for a seafaring town so rooted in the Mediterranean as Santa Pola, being able to collaborate closely with the Oceanogràfic Foundation in the protection of marine species is a great incentive and reinforces the prestige of our Municipal Aquarium, the oldest in the Valencian Community.”

With this agreement, the Oceanogràfic Foundation and the Santa Pola Sea Museum reinforce their role as agents in the conservation of the marine environment in the Valencian Community and are committed to a collaborative work model that unites science, outreach, and citizenship.