Green sea turtles start laying eggs in southern Turkey

By Eren Bozkurt

ADANA, Turkey (AA) - Green sea turtles have started laying eggs in Turkey's southern province of Adana.

The Akyatan Wildlife Development Area, an internationally important wetland, located between Akyatan -- the largest lagoon of Cukurova Delta -- and the Mediterranean, welcomes green sea turtles every summer.

Volunteers and officials have been on night watch along the 22-kilometer (13.6-mile) coast.

The turtles lay eggs in the night and return to the sea when twilight strikes.

Turgut Cangir, head of the regional directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, said they are carrying all-out efforts for the protection of both Caretta caretta and green sea turtles on the coasts from Hatay to Mersin provinces.

"Since 2006, 220,000 baby turtles have hatched from 6,000 nests and made their way to the sea on this 22-kilometer coastline. Last year, we had 520 nests in this area," he said.

Cangir stated that there are so far 17 nests of green sea turtles along the coastline due to the late summer season.

He said they hoped to attract more nests than last year's figure of 20,000.