Legacy: Sea Turtles

Trawls A trawl is a large net that is pulled through the water column or along the seabed, catching anything that is not small enough to pass through the net’s mesh openings. This fishing gear is typically used to catch fish or shrimp. Catching unwanted species is a problem for trawlers because it is a … Read more

There are seven species of sea turtles swimming the world’s oceans. Six of the species can be found in EU waters: greens, hawksbills, loggerheads, leatherbacks, olive ridleys and Kemp’s ridleys. (link to our species content) A seventh species, the flatback, only inhabits the waters around Australia. Female sea turtles, like all other reptiles, lay eggs. Most … Read more

The green sea turtle is another important species in the Mediterranean. Along with the loggerhead turtle, green turtles are the ones most frequently found in bycatch or are involved in accidents with vessels. The IUCN classifies this species as “endangered” and it is included in the Habitats Directive, CMS and the Barcelona Convention. However, its … Read more

In 1982, scientists estimated that there were 115,000 adult female leatherbacks worldwide. Recent estimates have placed the number between 20,000 and 30,000. The Pacific leatherback is in such severe decline that scientists believe they will become extinct in the Pacific Ocean within the next 30 years unless significant actions are taken to protect them very … Read more

Loggerhead sea turtles are currently listed as being threatened with extinction under the Habitat Directive, Barcelona Convention and Convention of Migratory Species. Their numbers are rapidly declining. Loggerhead sea turtles, like other sea turtle species, face many natural and human-induced threats. Scientists have determined that the capture in fishing gear and the loss of nesting … Read more

This Oceana programme was possible thanks to a collaboration agreement with the Fundación Biodiversidad and the help of the SECAC (Society for the Study of Cetaceans in the Canarian Archipelago) and served to draw up more effective protection plans. By  satellite tags that were attached to ten turtles, our scientists were able to follow their … Read more

Hawksbill sea turtles are in danger of extinction and are listed as endangered under the Habitat Directive and Barcelona Convention. Capturing and killing hawksbills for their valuable shell, which is used to make hairclips, combs, jewelry and decorative art , is a major threat to the recovery of the species. While the legal international trade … Read more

Olive ridley sea turtles, which are named for their olive-colored shell, are listed as threatened, with the exception of a single population that nests in Mexico, which is endangered. The decline of this species is primarily due to capture in commercial fisheries, loss of nesting habitat and continued killing of adults and poaching of eggs.