After several days in Palma de Mallorca, waiting for the weather to get better and preparing the ship and research equipment, the crew get together around the chart table to plan the route. It’s only been 5 days in port, but we’re so anxious to tag the turtles that it feels like months. Our departure will be tomorrow night, still with some quite big swells. We hope to be on our turtle tagging site on the 3rd of April. Once there, we’ll meet the rest of the research team, 3 Crittercam specialists of National Geographic and two KAI technicians, Almudena and Esteban.
The crew at the chart table
The crew at the chart table.
Our objective is the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta). This region, at the limit between the Alboran Sea and the Algero-Balearic basin is a major foraging ground for loggerhead juveniles and subadults. Most of them were born on the beaches of Florida and other nesting grounds of the eastern coast of the Atlantic, but we can also come across some of the few that still nest in the Mediterranean.
Loggerhead turtles in the Alboran Sea.
The crew continue working hard on various tasks for the upcoming departure tomorrow evening.
Victor working hard to make sure the boat is in top condition.
Before…
…after!
Françoise preparing for the CMS-ACCOBAMS meeting in Tangier (Morocco) before she leaves tomorrow.
