Massa Lubrense, three Caretta Caretta turtles released in the sea of ​​Punta Campanella

Massa Lubrense. This morning in the sea of Puoloarea C ofPunta Campanella Marine Protected Areathree were released Caretta Caretta turtles. It is an adult male and two sub-adult females, one of which already has eggs and is ready to nest in a few weeks. The turtles thus resume their journey in the Mediterranean after a few months of forced stop and treatment.
The Caretta Carettas were saved in winter thanks to the prompt intervention of the Punta Campanella Marine Protected Area and the A. Dohrn Zoological Station, with the fundamental and precious support of the fishermen of Salerno, Antonio Mai and Luigi Guida. The three turtles, at different times, had been accidentally captured during the usual fishing trips off the Gulf of Salerno.
Entangled in the nets they had risked dying from drowning or embolism, due to rising too quickly from the depths of the sea. Accidents which unfortunately happen very often, especially in the winter months when the Caretta Carettas are numb from the cold and more vulnerable. And for this reason it is essential not to immediately put them back into the sea once they have been caught because they may not be able to survive.
But Rita, Noemi and Kevin, these are the names of the three turtles released today, were lucky. The fishermen immediately alerted the Amp Punta Campanella which recovered the specimens and transferred them to the turtle recovery center of the A. Dohrn Zoological Station.
After months in the tanks to undergo specialized treatments, today we finally returned to the sea from Puolo beach, in front of children and school groups invited to the initiative after having participated in an Environmental Education project with the Marine Protected Area in recent months.
The President and Director of the Punta Campanella MPA, Lucio Cacace and Lucio De Maio, also participated in the event, made possible thanks to the collaboration of the tourist operators and local associations of Puolo. The Port Authority was also present.
The collaboration between Amp Punta Campanella, fishermen, the A. Dohrn Zoological Station and the Harbor Office has already saved dozens of sea turtles in recent years. A network of bodies and institutions, in this case beneficial for the Caretta Caretta, which will continue its work to protect the species in an even more effective way thanks to the forthcoming opening of a First Aid Center in Massa Lubrense financed by the Campania Region.
The turtle protection network will also be active in the summer months throughout the region to identify and monitor Caretta Caretta nests along the Campania coasts, especially in the Cilento and Castelvolturno areas.