The Beach of Dénia Registers the First Turtle Nest of the Season with 116 Eggs

• Of the total, 104 eggs have been moved to a protected beach and 12 to the Oceanogràfic of Valencia for controlled incubation
• This is the same turtle that nested three times in Dénia in 2023

The nesting season of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) in the Valencian Community has officially begun with the location of the first nest on the Maríneta Casiana beach, in Dénia, this past night.

In total, 116 eggs have been counted, of which 104 have been moved to a protected beach and 12 have been moved to the Oceanogràfic of Valencia, where they will be incubated in a controlled manner.

The discovery occurred around 11:50 p.m. on Saturday, when a couple walking along the beach raised the alarm after observing a sea turtle on the sand. In fact, the person who contacted the authorities was the same one who located this same turtle two years ago, in 2023, during one of the nestings in Dénia.

The turtle, known as Diana, is one of the females that laid three nests on Marineta Casiana beach in 2023. It has been positively identified thanks to the microchip implanted in it, a system that allows conservation teams to individually monitor the specimens that come to our coasts to nest.

Following the warning, the action protocol of the Stranding Network of the Valencian Community has been activated. The rescue team of the Oceanogràfic Foundation, together with research staff from the University of Valencia and the Polytechnic University of Valencia, has moved to the area, where members of the Environmental Protection Service of Dénia and the Local Police have also participated.

Diana has also been equipped with a satellite transmitter, which will allow detailed monitoring of her movements over the next few weeks, with the aim of detecting if she returns to land to lay new clutches.

This first nest of the season confirms the consolidation of Valencian beaches as emerging nesting areas for this species. An increasing phenomenon, linked to factors such as climate change, rising sea temperatures and the adaptation of turtles to new environmental conditions.

The Oceanogràfic Foundation stresses the importance of not interfering in nesting processes and of calling 112 in the event of any sighting, in order to activate the protection protocol and guarantee both the viability of the eggs and the well-being of the animal.