Saving Mediterranean turtles and dolphins: one life at a time
Sea turtles and dolphins are protected species, yet they remain under threat. "Ocean" travels to Greece and Italy to meet activists and volunteers who work tirelessly to save these animal lives.
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00:00 (waves crashing)
00:02 I'm really into sea turtles.
00:08 They are this wild animal that dates back
00:12 to the ages of the dinosaurs,
00:14 and we still see it coming on these same beaches
00:17 year and year and year after.
00:19 Their biggest threat, their biggest predator,
00:24 is actually humans.
00:25 So in my mind, if we are their biggest threat,
00:29 then we can also be their biggest help.
00:31 Every morning, just as the sun is rising,
00:43 teams from the Greek environmental charity, Arkelon,
00:46 survey the beaches of Kyparissia Bay
00:48 in the Western Peloponnese.
00:49 It's the largest sea turtle nesting area
00:55 in the whole of the Mediterranean,
00:57 and most of the nests are along a strip
00:59 of just 10 kilometers.
01:01 They quickly find a turtle trail leading to a new nest.
01:05 The team carefully examines it
01:07 and covers it with a metal grid
01:08 to protect the eggs from dogs and other threats
01:11 that come from human activity.
01:12 When Arkelon started this work,
01:19 they counted just 600 nests in this area.
01:22 Now, 40 years later, the turtles are beginning to thrive.
01:25 (water rushing)
01:29 Right now we have 5,000 nests in a range of 12.5 kilometers.
01:33 So it really shows you how important
01:36 the work that we do is here.
01:38 Out at sea, turtles can get caught up in fishing nets,
01:42 and sadly, their populations wouldn't thrive
01:45 without human intervention.
01:46 In Glyfada, near Athens, we visited Arkelon's hospital,
01:53 the Sea Turtle Rescue Center.
01:55 Injured and sick turtles from all over Greece are brought here.
01:59 During our visit, we encountered 29 turtles,
02:02 some of them severely injured.
02:04 Their treatment requires the expertise of vets,
02:07 who are assisted by dozens of volunteers
02:09 from countries around the world.
02:12 Sea turtles are officially a protected species,
02:15 but they remain threatened,
02:16 mainly by plastic bags in the sea that they eat,
02:19 thinking they're jellyfish, and of course, fishing nets.
02:23 Unfortunately, the number one reason
02:25 for the majority of the animals that we're receiving
02:27 is deliberate injuries, mainly in the area of the head.
02:31 We also usually see scars or injuries
02:34 in the area of the flippers, in the front flippers.
02:37 That means they have been entangled in fishing nets,
02:40 and in an attempt from the people to get them out,
02:44 they also hit them.
02:46 It's of course inexcusable.
02:48 We have cases where sea turtles
02:50 are entangled in fishing nets.
02:52 They have ingested hooks,
02:53 or they have ingested fishing lines.
02:56 Also, if you have any questions, the small ones.
02:59 The rescue center welcomes visitors,
03:01 many of whom are tourists.
03:04 Arkelon relies heavily on private donations
03:06 and works with international organizations,
03:08 including the EU.
03:10 It's difficult to know for certain
03:12 how exactly the turtles get injured,
03:14 but it's likely that fishermen are using force
03:17 to remove them from their nets
03:18 when they've got entangled in them.
03:20 This can damage their nets, and it's time-consuming,
03:23 but importantly, it doesn't affect the size of their catch.
03:26 Every single animal that is arriving here
03:29 has its own story, has been through very unique process
03:33 in order to get better.
03:34 So of course, a release is always one of the best feelings
03:38 you can have in this kind of work.
03:40 Sea turtles are one of a number of slow-growing
03:46 and long-lived marine species
03:48 that are causing concern today for their future survival,
03:51 but there are others, cetaceans,
03:53 that's mammals who live in the world's oceans,
03:55 including dolphins.
03:57 Many marine creatures that used to be abandoned
03:59 are now threatened.
04:01 So what puts the lives of protected species at risk?
04:04 And what can we do to help them?
04:06 Delfini del Ponente is an association in Western Liguria
04:13 that monitors the ocean's mammals and other marine life.
04:16 (DOLPHINS CHATTERING)
04:18 Along this stretch of the Italian coast near the French border,
04:22 dolphins and whales are particularly abundant.
04:25 To help preserve and restore these populations,
04:28 activists meticulously document every sighting.
04:31 The gathered data identifies areas
04:34 that might require enhanced protection.
04:36 These coastal creatures live in an area
04:42 that is greatly impacted by human activities
04:44 like fishing and boat traffic.
04:46 It's crucial to assess their health and population numbers
04:50 to help their protection.
04:51 Among the animals that we identify and monitor,
05:01 some show marks from collisions with propellers and boat engines.
05:05 There are animals that have been accidentally captured
05:10 or are just showing signs of past interactions
05:13 that they managed to survive.
05:15 Why is this happening?
05:22 Spanish organisation SUBMON works with local fishermen
05:26 and has put cameras on fishing nets in northern Catalonia
05:29 to see what's going on.
05:31 And there are similar projects in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea
05:34 by scientists working with the General Fisheries Commission
05:37 for the Mediterranean.
05:41 The revealing footage shows dolphins putting themselves in danger
05:44 as they approach trawled nets to snatch fish.
05:47 A behaviour termed depredation.
05:50 They gnaw at the nets, damaging costly fishing equipment.
05:53 Some dolphins even venture into offshore aqua farms,
05:56 causing distress to the cultivated fish.
05:59 In a four-year project, the Fisheries Commission
06:02 and the maritime conservation legal organisation ACOBAMS
06:06 evaluated a variety of dolphin deterrents.
06:10 They used acoustic pingers, reflective CDs and even glass bottles.
06:14 But they're still not sure how well these methods work.
06:18 Mammals get trapped into nets, collide with fishing vessels
06:21 and get injured or stranded.
06:23 But a prompt intervention can save many of them.
06:26 Back in Liguria, on the beach of Imperia,
06:33 we join a training session of the European project Life Delphi.
06:38 One of its objectives is to create a network of rescue teams
06:41 comprising of various coastal services and animal protection groups
06:45 always prepared to assist stranded dolphins.
06:48 We are counting around 10, 15 stranding situations every year,
06:55 only in the Liguria region.
06:57 They're learning how to approach a dolphin stranded,
07:00 what the first rescue procedure that you should do,
07:03 like, you know, put it in the shadow,
07:05 watch their physiological behaviour and approach the animal safely.
07:09 Marine animals in Europe and across the world
07:14 are up against increasing challenges,
07:17 from the effects of overfishing to pollution and climate change.
07:21 It's only by joining forces with activists, volunteers,
07:24 scientists and fishermen
07:26 that we can give vulnerable species a better chance of survival.
07:29 (CHATTER)
07:31 The solutions are here,
07:38 and we just need to apply them
07:40 for the conservation of these extraordinary creatures
07:43 that are giving us the happiness and the joy to do this work,
07:48 but to give a big passion to the new generation
07:52 for a sustainable future.
07:54 (MUSIC)
07:57 [MUSIC]