Kategorie: News
A rare species in the Adriatic Sea - is its range shifting?
Four dead green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) - a species considered rare in the Adriatic Sea - were found along the Apulian Adriatic coast between Molfetta, Bisceglie, Barletta, and Margherita di Savoia within just 50 days.
For WWF regional representative Pasquale Salvemini, this cluster of findings is particularly unusual: “In over 25 years of work and research on sea turtles, I have never before recorded four green sea turtles in such a short period of time.”
A comparison illustrates just how extraordinary this number is over such a short period: In his career spanning more than 25 years, Salvemini has documented a total of only about 20 green sea turtles, compared to more than 10,000 recorded specimens of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), which is considered the typical sea turtle species of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the green sea turtle was primarily found in southern Salento, but was significantly rarer in the central and northern Adriatic - precisely where all four dead animals were now discovered.
Suspected Cause of Death: Entanglement in Fishing Nets
Salvemini cites accidental entanglement in gillnets followed by drowning as a possible cause of death. A necropsy has already been performed on one of the animals found in Molfetta at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale in Foggia. The examination of the digestive tract provided additional valuable insights into the animals’ diet in this area.
Beyond the individual deaths, this cluster of incidents raises a broader question: Are researchers possibly observing a shift in the species’ range? Experts cite rising sea temperatures as a possible cause, which will be investigated in further studies.
If it is confirmed that green sea turtles are increasingly using the central and northern Adriatic Sea as their habitat, this would have implications for future conservation strategies in the region.
Further information:
Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno – Four green sea turtles found dead in 50 days
BarlettaLive – Between Molfetta and Margherita di Savoia, 4 green turtles found dead in 50 days
MolfettaLive – In northern Bari, 4 green sea turtles found dead in 50 days