The Pitmar project, developed by the Neotropic Foundation with the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, has made it possible to develop a sea turtle recognition system through the photoidentification of specimens. The initiative, launched in the waters of the Canary archipelago, was born with the aim of contributing to the protection, conservation and research on sea turtles through the implementation of an advanced identification algorithm and a database for the registration and monitoring of sea turtle specimens.

Thanks to the project, the Pitmar programme is available through an online platform of international scope, which is free to use. In addition, within the framework of the project, a database has been designed in which almost 2,900 specimens of sea turtles are available. The program incorporates 700 individual files of photo-identified turtles.

As part of the initiative, the Neotropic Foundation has returned 41 specimens of turtles to marine waters, activities in which students, volunteers, diving clubs, sports entities and neighborhood associations, among other groups, have participated.

Currently, the Pitmar program has users from different countries on five continents. It is an initiative that facilitates research on sea turtles and promotes international collaboration for their control and monitoring.