Green Sea Turtle – Chelonia mydas

The green turtle, Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) is a large sea turtle of the Cheloniidae family. Its common name does not come from its color, but from the coloring of the fat on the underside of the eel (shell). The length of the eel (shell) can reach up to 150 cm, but usually does not exceed 120 cm. Its weight usually reaches 100-150 kg, but it can exceed 400 kg in exceptional cases. Four lateral plates are found on each side of the eel, in contrast to Caretta caretta, where five lateral plates are found. The Green Turtle is easily distinguished from other turtle species by having only one pair of prefrontal scales on its head, instead of two pairs. It lives permanently in the sea and the females come out on land only to give birth. It feeds mainly on marine plants, but also on marine invertebrates.

Females dig deep into the beach sand and lay 50-240 eggs, up to 8 times until the end of the breeding season. The eggs are buried immediately and hatch after about 2-2.5 months. Females usually breed every 2-5 years. In the Mediterranean, 1,160 to 2,670 green turtle nests are recorded every year. However, there is no data for the areas of Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, where there is also nesting. The above numbers of nests are estimated to correspond to approximately 784 female green turtles, which give birth each year on the Mediterranean coast.

PRESERVATION STATUS:
The Green Turtle is classified globally and in the Mediterranean as an “Endangered” species (EN-Endangered). It is protected according to international, community and national legislation. Specifically, it is included in the CITES Convention, the Bonn Convention, the Protocols of the Barcelona International Convention and the Bern Convention. It is included as a priority species in Annex II of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). In national legislation it is protected by the P.D. 617/80, which prohibits fishing, the collection of chicks and the destruction of eggs, and P.D. 67/81, which prohibits capture, trade, abuse, killing and possession.

THREATS:
In addition to natural threats, all sea turtle species face anthropogenic threats to their survival, including:
• Accidental catches during fishing (mainly professional): Along with the target species (fish, molluscs, etc.), vulnerable species such as sea turtles and marine mammals in general are caught by accident. According to relevant research, it has been estimated that around 132,000 incidents of accidental capture of sea turtles take place in the Mediterranean every year, of which 44,000 lead to the turtles being killed.
• Undetected fishing: Abandoned or discarded fishing nets (known as ghost nets) and various types of fishing gear can passively act as death traps, resulting in vulnerable marine megafauna such as dolphins, seals and sea turtles being attracted to smaller marine species. organisms trapped in them and in turn trapped in them.
• Marine pollution: It is a global problem with a large environmental impact. In particular, the Mediterranean Sea is considered one of the most polluted seas worldwide, mainly due to the increased accumulation of plastics and microplastics. Plastic pollution of the Mediterranean is one of the biggest threats to the conservation of marine mammals. Turtles often confuse plastic bags with jellyfish, a favorite delicacy of sea turtles, as they look and smell the same. By consuming plastic waste, their digestive system clogs, creating a false sense of satiety, leading sea turtles to gradual death.
• Climate change: climate changes are a natural phenomenon of our planet. However, the intensive release of greenhouse gases led to an increase in the Earth’s temperature. Sea turtles adapted and evolved to survive changes in Earth’s climate in the past. However, the rapid development of climate change today, combined with increasing anthropogenic pressures on the turtles’ natural environment, are a source of concern for the future conservation status and sustainability of the species.

TARGET GROUPS:
Amateur and professional fishermen in the maritime area of ​​the Ionian Sea, owners of pleasure or sightseeing boats in the wider maritime area.