Uncovering Sea Turtle Strandings in the Greek Seas (Eastern Mediterranean Sea): Spatiotemporal Patterns and Signs of Anthropogenic Interaction

Abstract

The Mediterranean Sea is frequented by local populations of loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta and green turtle Chelonia mydas. Greek waters host both nesting sites and foraging grounds for the loggerhead turtle, whereas only foraging grounds for the green turtle. Both species face threats in their marine environment sourcing from anthropogenic activity. Here, stranding data, spanning from 2010 to 2021, were used to shed light on the main drivers underneath these threats and to identify seasons and areas of high number of stranding events. Stranding events showed an increasing trend over the years for both species. The majority of the strandings were categorized as “unknown,” while those showing signs of anthropogenic interaction (i.e., strandings related to marine litter ingestion, oil pollution, fishing gear entanglement, and injuries) held a significant part, representing ~25% and ~35% for the loggerhead and green turtle, respectively. The present work identified seasons and areas of concern with emphasis on areas that indicate fishery interaction, providing information that can support the designation of conservation measures in marine Greek waters.