The general director of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea, Pablo Saavedra; the Director General of Environmental Quality and Assessment and the Natural Environment, and the Director of the Biodiversity Foundation, Sonia Castañeda, attended the presentation of the results of the OASIS Project, developed by Alnitak, whose objective is to combine the conservation of sea turtles with the development of fishing and conservation sectors.

The general director of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea, Pablo Saavedra; the Director General of Environmental Quality and Assessment and the Natural Environment, and the Director of the Biodiversity Foundation, Sonia Castañeda, attended the presentation of the results of the OASIS Project, developed by Alnitak, whose objective is to combine the conservation of sea turtles with the development of fishing and conservation sectors.

Pablo Saavedra pointed out that “the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment is currently working on the development of a Conservation Strategy for sea turtles with the ultimate aim of reducing the unnatural mortality of these marine reptiles as much as possible”. In this sense, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment has collaborated, through the Biodiversity Foundation, in this project within the Western Mediterranean Marine Biodiversity Conservation programme. “Spain has a great responsibility in the conservation of these species, and especially of some of the most threatened populations, such as the Atlantic and Mediterranean populations,” Saavedra stressed during the presentation that took place at the National Geographic Store in Madrid.

The OASIS project focuses on studies on sea turtles that are concentrated in the waters between the peninsula and the Balearic Islands. Specifically, the behavior pattern of turtles and their habitat use have been studied to reduce the risks of collision, pollution and interactions with fisheries. For the first time, National Geographic Crittercam camera equipment and acoustic tags have been used to obtain footage of their behavior and diet. On the other hand, and in collaboration with artisanal fishermen, several experiments have been launched to study the behaviour of turtles that feed on crustaceans on the seabed of the island of Menorca.

The OASIS project, which is supported by the Biodiversity Foundation, has been carried out on board the KAI Expeditions research sailboat with researchers from Alnitak, the US Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), National Geographic, Stanford University, University of Siena, KAI Marine, HYDRA Institute, IMEDEA SOCIB, Spanish Institute of Oceanography and the French Sea Turtle Group. CEPESCA, and longline and trammel fishermen of lobster from Menorca and trap fishers from the Strait of Gibraltar have also collaborated.

In addition, within the framework of the LIFE+ INDEMARES project, the Alnitak association has coordinated mitigation and risk management actions for populations of cetaceans, turtles and seabirds. To this end, the Alboran Sea has been used as a laboratory for the development of technological measures for the analysis, management and monitoring of risks to sea turtle populations derived from human activities in the transport, defence, fisheries, energy and tourism sectors.

More information about the OASIS Project by clicking here.