The
Marine Protected Area of Punta Campanella
recovered
two Caretta caretta turtles
on Thursday evening
.
The two specimens had been trapped in the fishing nets of two fishermen,
Luigi Guida and Antonio De Mai
.
The two, who have been collaborating for years with the Marine Park in rescuing turtles and in other sea protection initiatives, promptly alerted the rescue and delivered the Caretta caretta to the staff of the Amp Punta Campanella.
One of the two specimens, a young female of 60 cm and 30 kg in weight, has an identification plate and had a satellite transmitter which, however, has detached.
It is called
Eleonor
a, had been recovered in 2018 off the coast of Livorno from the Grosseto aquarium and put back into the sea in July 2019. After about a month, however, its traces were lost.
The last satellite survey took place on August 8, 2019. The turtle was located near the Gulf of Gaeta and had traveled about 450 kilometers in less than 30 days.
Now, after last night's mishap, she has been transferred to the Turtle point of the A. Dohrn Zoological Station and her condition looks good.
The other recovered specimen, an adult male of 50 cm and 70 kg, will instead be called
Diego Armando
at the behest of the fisherman who saved him, Luigi Guida, who is precisely nicknamed
Maradona
.
The male is also in good condition and has been transferred to the Turtle point in Portici for all necessary analyzes and treatments.
"We thank the two fishermen who promptly warned us of the presence of turtles in the nets - said
Lucio Cacace
, president of Amp Punta Campanella -. We have had a fruitful collaboration relationship with various fishermen for years, we will try to intensify and extend this synergy in next months. We are also considering the reopening of
the First Aid Center for turtles in Massa Lubrense
but it will not be easy in the short term. In the meantime, we continue to save them thanks to the precious synergy with the Turtle Point in Portici ".
The two turtles will now be visited by the specialists of
the Portici center.
If they do not have particular problems, they will be released into the sea in a few months, when the water temperature will be around 20 degrees, probably between late April and May.
The Punta Campanella Marine Protected Area invites all fishermen to notify the Harbor Master's Office or the reference rescue centers in case they find turtles in the nets and not to throw them immediately into the sea.
In fact, the Caretta caretta, in addition to any damage due to the nets, could have - as has already happened many times in the past, in about 60% of recoveries -
other health problems such as infections on the carapace, hooks in the throat, plastic in the stomach or other pathologies which could cause their death over time
.
By taking them to a rescue and assistance center, they will be treated in the best possible way and will be able to return to the sea in perfect health.
In the southern area of the Gulf of Naples and north of the Gulf of Salerno, in the event of a turtle in the net or in difficulty, the Marine Protected Area of Punta Campanella can also be called, which in 12 years has recovered about 160 specimens.
(
martino.iannone@ansa.it
)