62 sea turtles hatch from the nest on Can Pere Antoni beach.

PalmORa total of 62 sea turtle hatchlings from the nest detected this summer on the beach of Can Pere Antoni, in Palma, have been born in recent days. Almost two months after the eggs were laid, the ten eggs that were in artificial incubation were completed on Friday, and on Saturday, it was confirmed that the first hatchling had emerged from the nest to the surface. Throughout the night, 51 more hatched, bringing the total to 62 small sea turtles, the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and the Environment reported in a statement. It is not ruled out that more could be born throughout Sunday, given that a total of 77 eggs were found at Can Pere Antoni.

Following established protocol, all newborns will now be transferred to the facilities of the Marine Research and Aquaculture Laboratory (LIMIA) in Port d'Andratx. There, the Cofib Marine Fauna Department will be responsible for their identification, biometrics, and health checks.

The program will then begin head starting, which is part of the Spanish strategy for the conservation of the species and consists of breeding them in controlled conditions for ten or twelve months with the aim of increasing the chances of survival of these animals before being reintroduced into the sea.

It is a vulnerable species

The sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is a species classified as vulnerable and its presence on the Balearic coasts has become common in recent years.

In addition to the nest at Can Pere Antoni, the presence of another one was confirmed on August 7th on Cavallet beach, in the Natural Park of Ses Salinas de Ibiza, with a total of 85 eggs. The first confirmed nesting case in the Archipelago was in Ibiza in 2019.

Call 112

The Director General of Natural Environment and Forest Management, Anna Torres, noted that September and October are the months with the highest probability of detecting sea turtle hatchlings. Therefore, she requested that, if this situation occurs, the information be immediately reported to the emergency number 112 so that the protocol can be activated to protect these specimens, in addition to locating the nest from which they originated.