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The bleeding of cetaceans and sea turtles on the coast of Almeria does not cease. The coast of the province have had to mourn the death of more than fifty cetaceans and turtles in what we carry of year. Specifically, a total of 34 cetaceans and 27 sea turtles have been found dead on some Almerian beach between January and September of this year.
“Every year we have to mourn the death of more animals at sea.” This is what Eva María Morón, the coordinator of the association for the recovery of marine fauna, Equinac, the only entity authorized to rescue species threatened in the province, warns that this death toll “will far exceed” to the number of varamientos counted throughout the whole last year.
According to the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, the Andalusian coast recorded in 2016 a total of 245 strandings, between cetaceans (162) and turtles (83), of which a total of 71 were attended on the beaches of territory of Almeria.
In the absence of three months to conclude this year, the number of strandings already exceeds six dozen, so everything indicates that the number of deaths of cetaceans and tortoises, most of them exemplary silly turtles – ‘Caretta caretta’-, will be higher than the previous year and will once again place the Almerian territory as one of the most affected in the entire Andalusian coast.
Since Equinac point out that the “vast majority” of animals have appeared in recent years on the coast have died “by factors external to the animal and by the action of the human being.” In fact, many of these animals “arrive very sick” on the beaches because of the “high pollution levels on our coasts”, while each of them has “high levels of malnutrition”, says Eva Morón .
Mediterranean ‘ramshackle’
From Equinac they have it clear: “The Mediterranean is depleted”, mainly due to the overfishing of species, which leaves cetaceans, especially dolphins, and sea turtles without food. At the time of making this affirmation they are based on the recent draft of the Ministry of Agriculture Fishing and Environment on the plan for the conservation of fish resources.
According to the ministerial report, which contains strong restrictions to protect the coastline from overfishing, it points out that 93% of the varieties targeted in the Mediterranean are in poor condition because of the volume of catches they have been carrying. “Some, such as hake that swims in the waters bordering France, is caught 12 times more than sustainable”, according to the indexes described by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography.
In addition to this situation, the members of Equinac, who work without any subsidy, only through small donations, emphasize that another aspect that is causing this massive death of animals is the high degree of pollution and the large quantity of garbage accumulated in the sea. As an example, the loggerhead turtle that arrived dead last April at Almerimar beach. The animal, more than 70 centimeters long, had “numerous plastics” in its interior, accumulated in the Mediterranean and forming “a large manure”, denounces Eva Morón.
Finally, the coordinator of Equinac again asked anyone to witness the stranding of a live animal, you must immediately “notify” the Emergency Service 112 and never try to reintroduce them. Also, remember that all these animals are protected and to harm them, to manipulate them and to harass them is prohibited by law.
Behind are chapters as hot flashes as this summer on Mojacar beach, where a beached dolphin ended up dying before the harassment of bathers.
Courtesy of ideal.es
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