Abstract

The Mediterranean Sea hosts at least six of the world’s seven known species of sea turtles. Loggerhead, Leatherback, and Green Sea Turtles have been recorded in the marine ecosystem of the Gaza Strip and are occasionally found stranded on beaches. This study sheds light on the status of Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas Linnaeus, 1758) in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. The current study, which spanned from 2005 to 2024, relied on repeated field visits to the 42-kilometer coastline of the Gaza Strip, fishing ports, fish markets, zoos, and museums, as well as meetings and discussions with relevant stakeholders, monitoring and reviewing local media and social media reports related to sea turtles, and taking documentary photographs. The results showed that the Green Sea Turtle is the second most frequently caught, by-caught, or stranded sea turtle in the Gaza Strip, after the Loggerhead Sea Turtle. The number of strandings or bycatch of this species may reach ten and twelve cases per year. Some stranded specimens have been found to have various epibionts, particularly barnacles, growing on their shells. No Green Sea Turtles have been recorded nesting or hatching on the beaches of the Gaza Strip. Very few Green Sea Turtle specimens have been exploited as food by a few Gazans. In most cases, sea turtles kept in local zoos died and did not live long due to poor captivity conditions. The sea turtles received widespread local media coverage, and may have contributed to their conservation by returning them to the sea. The threats facing green sea turtles in the Gaza Strip are numerous and included fishing gear and bycatch, vessel strikes, harvesting for consumption, marine pollution, and marine debris. The study recommends protecting and conserving sea turtles in the Gaza Strip’s marine ecosystem, as they are endangered creatures worldwide

Keywords:Green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, Mediterranean Sea, Stranding, Threats, By-catch, vessel strikes, Exploitation, Captivity, Gaza Strip, Palestine