When a sea turtle emerges from the sand and reaches the sea, one of the most mysterious phases of its existence begins. For decades, researchers have been tracking the nesting of Caretta caretta turtles on Mediterranean beaches with increasing precision, but much less was known about what happens next. Where do they spend their growing years? What areas do they frequent? How do their habits change over the course of their lives?
A study published in the journal Marine Environmental Research by an international team of researchers coordinated under the LIFE Conceptu Maris project tries to answer these questions. Analyzing nearly 3,000 sightings collected between 2019 and 2024 along the main ferry routes in the western Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea, the authors reconstructed the overview of sea turtle distribution in the open sea during different growth stages.
A different Mediterranean for every age
The research starts with one observation: there is no such thing as one turtle life. As the researchers write, juvenile specimens occupy environments characterized by “warm, productive and dynamic” waters, while adults are mainly concentrated in “deeper, thermally stable” habitats.
The study also identifies some regions that assume a strategic role throughout the life cycle of the species. These include the Tyrrhenian Sea and theAdriatic Sea. These are areas frequented by multiple age classes, although in different ways depending on the season and stage of development.
Particularly interesting is the case of the Algerian Sea, which emerges as a kind of ecological crossroads in the western Mediterranean. Here both young individuals in the growth phase and adults engaged in feeding activities are concentrated. In the Tyrrhenian Sea, on the other hand, the study highlights the importance of some offshore areas associated with submarine reliefs such as the submerged Marsili and Palinuro mountains, which seem to offer favorable conditions especially for more mature individuals.
Beyond the beaches
The findings come at a time when the presence of Caretta caretta on Italian coasts continues to increase. In recent years, nesting has become increasingly frequent even along stretches of coastline where until recently they represented exceptional events.This is precisely why the authors urge us to move our gaze beyond the beaches. While nests are the most visible part of the story, much of the turtles’ lives in fact take place far from the coast, in environments that remain poorly protected and often little studied.
The main threats to the species continue to be concentrated in the open sea: bycatch in fishing activities, collisions with boats, and pollution from plastic and other floating litter.
The challenge of conservation
According to the authors, knowing more precisely where the habitats used by different age groups are located is an essential step in making protection policies more effective.
Many marine protected areas in the Mediterranean were in fact designed primarily for the conservation of coastal environments. In contrast, new maps developed by the LIFE Conceptu Maris project show that some of the most important areas for turtles are located offshore, often outside current protection systems.
Perhaps the most significant discovery of the study is precisely this: behind the images of summer hatchings and nests guarded by volunteers there is an invisible Mediterranean, made up of routes, habitats and crucial areas that accompany turtles throughout their lives. A world that until now we knew only in part and that scientific research is finally beginning to bring to light.
