Karkana: On a barge hundreds of meters away Karkana Islands In southern Tunisia, a group of students watch intently as Basma, a recovering sea turtle, waddles toward the water and dives.
Barges were used to treat the wounded. Loggerhead turtlesIts organizers say it is the first floating rehabilitation center for the species in the Mediterranean.
Blocking underwater netted enclosures, it allows the endangered species to be cared for in saltwater, its natural habitat.
“It is important that sea turtles recover in their natural environment,” said Hameed Mullat, a marine biologist who heads the UN-funded project.
“We keep them in a place that is big enough for them to eat more comfortably,” he added.
Malat, a member of the local Cretan Association for Sustainable Development and the International Sea Turtle Society, founded the project last month and said the rehabilitation barge was repurposed from a sunken aquaculture cage.
It can hold up to five sea turtles at a time, each in its own enclosure, and extends up to 150 square meters (1,610 sq ft) on the surface, with nets that allow the convalescing animals to sink to the sea floor. Access is allowed.
The loggerhead sea turtle, also known as Carita carita, is considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Each year, about 10,000 loggerheads are caught in trawlers and fishing nets in the waters off Tunisia.
‘Educational Value’
LifeMedTurtles, an EU-funded marine life conservation project, estimates that more than 70 percent of sea turtle deaths in the Mediterranean are caused by gill nets, large nets used by large-scale fisheries. Used for Garry.
Malat said that often the fishermen themselves bring the injured turtles to the barge.
He added that this project is also an opportunity to teach the younger generation about the conservation of marine life.
“It’s a direct application of what we study,” said Sara Gharbi, 24, a fisheries and ecology student at the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (INAT).
“It’s also the first interaction with a marine species that we don’t normally see as part of our studies or in our labs. It’s something new and enriching.”
His teacher, Rimal Ben Massoud, 42, said the “educational value” of the barge was to give students first-hand experience of protecting marine life.
Due to rising ocean temperatures, overfishing and pollution, many marine species have seen their migration routes and habitats change over time.
Mallett said the project could help study these patterns, particularly among loggerhead sea turtles, because Bisma now carries a tracking device.
“This gives us a significant advantage for scientific monitoring of sea turtles, something that is somewhat lacking in scientific research in Tunisia,” he said.
Malat said they also hope to attract summer tourists to the island and raise awareness of the vulnerable species.