“Wildlife rescue is a 24-hour job: animals don’t understand public holidays or weekends”

Marine biologist and PhD in Marine Ecology Antonia Solomando is joining the crew of Passion for the Sea to bring audiences closer to the richness of the marine ecosystems of the Balearic Islands, the environmental challenges facing the Mediterranean, and the main species that inhabit our waters.

During her presentation on the programme, we took a brief look back at the researcher’s professional career. She wanted to send a clear message to the audience about the need to understand and protect the sea surrounding the islands.

One of the aspects she most wanted to highlight during the interview was the enormous natural value hidden in Balearic waters, often unknown even to those who live by the sea. “We think we have to get on a plane and go to places like the Maldives or the Caribbean to find large species, but here in the Balearic Islands we have animals as iconic as the sperm whale, which is the second-largest whale in the world, as well as numerous sea turtles,” she explained.

“Here we have sharks and many other species that people would never imagine live so close to our coasts,” she added, noting that striking species such as manta rays can be observed in the Balearic Islands, especially at certain times of the year. “It seems like something tropical or Caribbean, but it also happens here, in our waters.”

As a new contributor to Passion for the Sea, one of Anto’s main aims will be to bring this marine reality closer to viewers. “I want to show that just a few miles from our coasts we can come across dolphins, manta rays or sea turtles, and that we live alongside extraordinary biodiversity,” she explained.

The researcher believes it is essential to bring this biodiversity closer to society in order to generate greater environmental awareness. “If we know these species, we value them; and when we value them, we become aware of the importance of protecting them.”

One of Anto’s professional roles has been linked to the rescue and recovery of protected marine wildlife. “It is a very demanding job, 24 hours a day, Monday to Sunday, because animals don’t understand public holidays or weekends, but it is also enormously rewarding,” she explained.

A large proportion of the animals treated are sea turtles affected by plastics or abandoned nets. “Ghost nets are one of the major problems. Turtles find feeding areas around these floating objects and often end up becoming entangled in them,” she said.

After months of recovery, many of these turtles are able to return to the sea. “It was very moving to release those animals and later confirm, thanks to tracking systems, that they continued their migratory routes as normal.”

She also took the opportunity to stress the importance of acting correctly when encountering marine wildlife in distress. “If we find a turtle trapped in plastic or any injured animal, we should always call 112 so they can tell us how to proceed,” she recommended.

Specialised in the impact of plastics on marine wildlife, Solomando explained that her vocation was born during her university internship, when she began collaborating with the volunteer team at the Palma Aquarium Foundation. “That was when I realised it was a world I was passionate about and that it awakened my vocation,” she recalled.

Anto’s doctoral thesis focused on analysing the impact of plastics on Balearic marine wildlife, a study carried out in collaboration with the Palma Aquarium Foundation and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography.

During her research, she studied everything from small invertebrates and fish to large species such as turtles, sharks and whales. “We found the impact of plastics throughout the entire food chain, both through ingestion and entanglement,” she said.

As she explained, the effects of this pollution are not limited solely to marine wildlife. “Many of the affected species form part of our diet, so we must also ask ourselves what consequences these microplastics have for us.”

The studies carried out even detected alterations at a cellular level in different species exposed to microplastics. “We observed oxidative stress processes that can have consequences for the immune system, behaviour or even the genetics of animals,” she stated.

With her arrival on the programme, Passion for the Sea adds a new expert voice that will help reveal everything happening beneath the surface of the Mediterranean and provide a better understanding of the challenges facing one of the Balearic Islands’ most valuable ecosystems.