© Balears Cultural Tour
Plastics Arriving on the Mallorcan Coast Endanger Local Species
The amount of residues collected this year has increased
This August has seen an average 40% more residues approaching the Mallorcan coast that last year, with around a ton of rubbish collected every day. Plastic is especially dangerous to turtles, which can become entangled in it.
The Balearic Government issued a warning last July due to the large amounts of plastic containers with Arabic and French texts reaching Ibizan beaches, mainly coming from Algeria. Mallorca's rich marine wildlife is threatened by these residues.
Turtles are the most vulnerable because they easily become caught in plastic threads. Only last Sunday a 34-kilos sea turtle was released at Port de Pollença. It had been found in Portopetro in June, one of its fins was severely damaged by thick plastic threads and had to be amputated. But the story has reached a happy ending and the is animal now back in the Mediterranean.
Projects are being put in place to ensure the conservation of Mallorca's varied species of fish and seagrass, mainly via the creation of protected areas.
