Sixteen marine turtles are freed in Can Pastilla Beach

The minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, highlighted the fact that this protected species now regularly comes to our national beaches to spawn: “Public awareness and knowledge about how to act when a nesting turtle is found are essential”

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment has freed a total of sixteen marine turtles (Caretta caretta), born last summer in Mallorca. Minister Joan Simonet, accompanied by the General Director of the Natural Environment and Forest Management, Anna Torres, took part in the release event at Can Pastilla beach, in Palma. 

These turtles hatched on the 22nd of September of 2024, on the same beach, out of a nest that hadn’t been previously detected. During the event, Simonet stressed the importance of raising public awareness about marine and environmental protection: “Due to climate change, the fact that marine turtles come to spawn in our beaches has become increasingly common. That’s why public awareness and knowledge on how to act when a nesting turtle is found are crucial, so that the correct protocol can be followed and the turtles can be returned safely to their natural habitat – the sea,” he said.

“Now, nine months after their birth, these turtles, measuring about 16 cm in shell lenght and weighing around 800 grams, have reached a size that will allow them, once they’re reintroduced into the sea, to better survive in the wild and reach adulthood and reproductive age” the minister added.

Simonet took the chance to call for “maximum public cooperation”, noting that early detection of nests, hatchlings, or nesting females on the beach – especially between May and October – is essential for protecting the species.

Meanwhile, general director Anna Torres pointed out that “nowadays, we are seeing that these species move to areas where, years ago, it was unthinkable that they could get there. The effects of climate change have caused this protected species behaviour to change, as these type of turtles never had come to nest on our shores before”.

The release event at Can Pastilla Beach was also attended by representatives from the Palma City Council, Toni Mas, president of the Natura Parc Foundation,, staff from the Consorcio para la Recuperación de la Fauna de las Illes Balears (COFIB) and the Palma Aquarium Foundation; representatives from the Fundació Baleària; the Marine Protected Areas team from TragsaTec; Environmental Agents; representatives from the Cabrera National Park Visitor Center and from IRFAP-LIMIA; staff from the Seville Aquarium; representatives from Cafés Templo, and many other collaborators who take part in the management of nesting events and in the Head Starting program for marine turtles.

It is worth noting that on September 22nd, a beachgoer at Can Pastilla contacted emergency services (112) after discovering a newborn sea turtle on the sand. At that moment, the COFIB response protocol was activated and, in collaboration with the Palma Aquarium Foundation, staff arrived on site and detected the hatching of more turtles—reaching a total of sixteen individuals. These were included in the Head Starting program and distributed to two of the program’s partner centers: the Seville Aquarium and the Cabrera National Park Visitor Center.

In 2015, the first nesting attempt by a sea turtle in the Balearic Islands was recorded—unsuccessfully—in Ibiza. In 2019, the first confirmed nest was detected on the same island. The following year, in 2020, two nests were located in Menorca and one in Ibiza. However, during the summers of 2021 and 2022, only two attempts were detected in Formentera. In 2023, there were three nesting attempts and six confirmed nests across the archipelago (three in Mallorca and three in Ibiza). Finally, in the summer of 2024, the Can Pastilla nest and a nesting attempt in the Cala Rajada area were documented.

The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is listed as a "vulnerable" species in the Spanish Catalogue of threatened species. It typically breeds in the eastern Mediterranean and had not been known to nest in the western Mediterranean until the early 21st century, most likely due to rising sea temperatures.

Head Starting is a controlled captive-rearing program that lasts between ten and twelve months, during which the animals are fed and cared for under conditions that simulate the changes they would naturally experience. This method significantly increases their chances of survival once they are released into the sea.

In addition, the program enhances scientific understanding of the species during its early life stages and improves conservation management. The initiative is led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment through the Species Protection Service of the Directorate-General for Natural Environment and Forest Management, and is carried out by COFIB. It also involves the participation of the Palma Aquarium Foundation, IRFAP-LIMIA, the Cabrera National Park Visitor Center, the Seville Aquarium, the Oceanogràfic of Valencia, the CRAM Foundation (Barcelona), and the Beta Technological Center of the University of Vic.

Lastly, it is important to highlight that the transportation of these animals has been carried out with the collaboration of the shipping company Baleària. Additionally, Cafés Templo has provided a satellite transmitter to monitor the movements of one of the released turtles and assess its survival after reintroduction into its natural habitat.