Sea turtles targeted on the west coast

The first sighting of the loggerhead turtle species occurred off Tjörn in May. During the autumn, three more were found in different locations, as also reported by local media .

In October, a sea turtle was seen in Fiskebäckskil, and in December, two dead specimens were found on land outside Varberg and Strömstad, respectively.

There have been some reports since 2022. But before that, as far as I know, it was 100 years since a sea turtle was seen in Swedish waters, says marine biologist Marcus Stenegren to DN.

The turtles probably swam to Sweden themselves with the help of currents and storms. According to Stenegren, temperature changes in the sea could be behind this – the species cannot handle temperatures below ten degrees.

This autumn, the water temperature in the North Sea has been above 10 degrees until December. This is very unusual.