A dead marine turtle was spotted today by cleaning crews of the municipality of Kalamaria in the area of Haras in Nea Krini, Thessaloniki.

All procedures were immediately followed by the law, according to a statement from the municipality.

The competent recording company of the Rescue Network “Archelon” (Association for the Protection of Sea Turtles) was informed, while the recovery of the sea turtle, which weighed more than 70 kg, was carried out.

The statement noted that “this is the second similar incident in Kalamaria in less than two months, which is of great concern.

“The new incident with the dead sea turtle on our shores cannot be treated as an isolated incident,” Kalamaria mayor Chrysa Arapoglou said in a statement, stressing that it is “the second within a few weeks and should raise an alarm to the competent authorities. It is necessary to immediately examine whether there is a problem of overpopulation or other environmental factors that negatively affect marine life in the Thermaikos.

In addition, we cannot fail to mention the shortcomings of the new legislative framework of 2023, which transfers the responsibility of collecting marine animals to the Municipalities, without providing the necessary tools, guidelines or funding for the process to be done safely and scientifically documented. Municipalities do not have the staff or expertise to manage such critical environmental issues.

The issues affecting marine life and the marine environment are extremely serious and cannot be addressed by simply shifting responsibility to non-competent agencies. We need cooperation, a plan, and above all, political will for the protection of our seas,” the Mayor of Kalamaria said.

The statement said, among other things, that the “Municipality of Kalamaria will continue to record and highlight such incidents, asking the State for an immediate revision of the framework for dealing with similar incidents and the substantial strengthening of municipalities in matters related to the protection of the natural environment.

The protection of the environment is an obligation of all of us – state, institutions, and citizens – today more than ever before.”