About us - Conservation projects of conversation biology

Systematic analysis of the blood of the injured sea turtles with the purpose of improving medical treatments in Centers all around the world

Sea turtles are reptilians who have inhabited the seas of the world for over 100 million years. Today, under the pressure of fishing, tourism, sea traffic, pollution, and global warming, these turtles are on the verge of extinction.

Considering the condition of the population in the Mediterranean, the loggerhead turtle (the most common species in the Adriatic), it received the status of an endangered species in 1996 on the IUCN (International Union of Conservation of Nature) list, and it is very likely that it will be given the status of a critically endangered species. This species has been in the "Appendix 1" of the International trade of endangered wildlife and plant species convention (CITES) since 1981, and Croatia is one of its signatories. It has been considered a critically protected species in Croatia since 1996 (NN 84/96).

Being that sea turtles are lone and misterious animals, their life cycle, habits and customary behavious have not been very thoroughly studied. There are many institutions all over the world who have been trying to minimize and stop their extermination in various ways, so it is not unusual to see new sea turtle recuperation centers being opened everywhere. Our Center, the only one of its kind in Croatia, helps rehabilitate about ten turtles every year. The most frequent cause of their coming to us in hypothermia, which can lead to the development of various diseases. The cause for this is frequent staying in the north Adriatic due to an extreme abundance of food there. It is not commonly known that this particular area is one of the largest feeding grounds in the Mediterranean. Their numbers are quite high even in the winter time, when the temperatures are relatively low in comparison to the rest of the Mediterranean.

Systematic blood analysis is extremely important, not only for the better recovery of animals, but also because of understanding the physiology of the way a species spends winter. Scientific research shows that tortoises have regular metabolism even at the temperature of 14°C. Our experience in the Center shows that the turtles showed activity even at 8-9°C and that they were feeding in the sea. Considering the fact that this phenomenon has not been thoroughly researched yet, systematic blood analysis of all the turtles living in the Center is immensely important. This gives us insight into the metabolism of a species which, having a cold-blooded organism, is surely becoming an exceptional representative of its group. The goal of the project is to generate a comprehensive insight into the biochemical and cellular parameter in the blood of the turtles, as well as into their variability amplitudes. The results will be compared to the data received from other institutions from all over the Mediterranean, and there will be a long-term follow-up on the parameter changes caused by global warming or other anthropogenic influences.

Artificial inducing of sexual maturity in the European eel Anguilla anguilla Linnaeus, 1758.

The Europska eel, Anguilla anguilla L., is an economically significant species of fish which is being exploited all over the world. One of the most important factors of the drastic diminishment of the number of the European eel in the world is uncontrolled fishing of adult specimens for commercial purposes and cultivation. Other causes for this are polution of salt- and fresh-water ecosystems, climate changes caused by global warming, habitat devastation, infestations of the parasite Anguillicola crassus, virus inflammations, etc. According to data from FAO-a (Food and Agriculture Organization) and ICES-a (International council for hte exploration of the Sea)(2003.) the entire European eel population has been reduced to 1-2% in the last 30 years. In 2007, it has been proposed that the European eel be added to "Appendix 2" of Article 2(2a) of the Law regarding confirmation of the Convention o international trade with endangered wildlife animal and plant species (CITES). IUCN (International Union of Conservation of Nature) has included the European eel in 2008. on the list of the red book as a critically endangered species, protection type „IUCN 3.1“. The eel has been included on the list of endangered species in the Republic of Croatia (NN 84/96).

Since the technology of artificial multiplication has not been fully developed yet, the breeding is based on collecting larvae and feeding them until they have reached sufficient weight for consummation. In other words, the eel does not live its entire life cycle in the breeding grounds, instead, during each reproductive season a population is being irrevocably removed from the sea, which is a potential producer of new larvae. In this way, the initial link in the eel's natural life process is being broken, which is causing the endangering of the species' survival in the long run.

Exploring the artificial induction of sexual maturity technology, which is yet to prove successful experimentally, is of enormous ecological importance primarily for saving the European eel from extinction, and it is secondary for the possibility of further commercial exploration with no consequence to natural populations. The goal of the project is to reach a level of sexual maturity in the European eel specimens, as well as to produce reproductive cells in order to perform the fertilization. The larvae would then be returned to their natural habitats, which will contribute immensely to saving this species from extinction. The same larvae would allow the breeding ground to breed without any influence to the natural populations. The success of the project would lead to a better understanding of the life cycle of European eels both in nature and in captivity.

Preliminary research in the Pula Aquariumu has unveiled the pre-reproductive stage of the eel. Further research is needed in order attain the production of reproductive cells, fertilization and development of larvae.

Breeding of sea horses and renewing of fish pool with the species longsnouted sea horse Hippocampus ramulosus

Due to the more frequent use of modern technologies (GPS, echo sounder etc.), as well as the ever increasing anthropogenic influence, the fish pool is becoming more and more depleted. A fish species which is especially endangered the sea horses. There are two kinds of sea horses in the Adriatic sea: shortsnouted sea horse Hippocampus hippocampus and longsnouted sea horse Hippocampus ramulosus. Sea horses are special fish which, due their distinctive characteristics, behaviour and habitat, become easily accessible and interesting to humans, and have therefore become endangered. Their numbers have decreased significantly in the last period, which is why they have been included in the list of endangered and critically endangered plant and animal species in the Republic of Croatia. The sea horses were included in the IUCN (International Union of Conservation of Nature) list in 2003 as a DD – data deficient species. In the year 2002, the species were included in the "Appendix 1" of the Convention of international trade of endangered wildlife animals and plants species(CITES), that the Republic of Croatia is a signatory of.

The Pula Aquarium has been displaying the long snouted seahorses as part of regular exhibition for a number of years now. Since 2008, the sea horses have mated in captivity and have had offspring. Their increase in numbers has given incentive to the possibility of renewing their pool in the sea as well.

The research project begins by rewieving the quantity and distribution of sea horses in certain stations of the Pula aquatorium, as well as the aquatorim of South Istra (coves in Premantura, Pomer and Ližnjan), where the sea horses are known to live. Multiplication of sea horses in the aquarium is conducted naturally by way of creating optimal conditions inside the aquarium (varied food, maintaing of constant chemical and physical parameters of sea water). Sea horses in various growth stages would be released, with the permissions of Ministry of Culture, Environmental Preservation Office and the Environmental Preservation State Institute, into specific areas of the Pula or East Istra aquatoriums (Pomer, Medulin, Ližnjan and Premantura) in order to achieve their increase in numbers.