The officers of the Environmental Protection and Research Unit of the Department of the Environment and Climate Change (DECC) saw the year close with the stranding of three animals: one razorbill at Sandy Bay followed by two loggerhead turtles, the first at Eastern Beach and the second at Catalan Bay.

The first loggerhead was still alive when the officers attended but died quickly after their arrival. The officers examined the specimens in an attempt to establish the causes of death. The first specimen showed evidence of having ingested fishing gear used in long-line fishery.

The cause of death of the second sea turtle is believed to have been a collision with a vessel. The latter had been floating at sea for some time and was in a bad state when it washed ashore. The data gathered from these incidents will be added to the DECC’s marine monitoring programme.

The public are asked to report any marine sightings to the Department of the Environment and Climate Change on-call number 58009620 or email them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..