I refer to Paul Galea's letter on the Risk Of Death Hanging Over Freed Turtles (August 23).

While appreciating the concerns raised in view of the attachment of such satellite tags to the turtles, we would like to give some insight on satellite telemetry, its worldwide use and the scientific aspect of such attachment, so that the public would not be unjustifiably concerned over such a conservation project.

Turtle shells not only grow by proliferation of keratin around the scutes (plates) on the top shell (carapace) but also as the entire undersurface of the scute, meaning that old scutes are regularly expelled as the new scute already lies beneath. Hence anything glued to a turtle shell comes off with the scutes, but in most cases the glue (which is actually a specially made fast setting epoxy and not cement) peels off even before that happens.

Satellite tracking is a very common practice in sea turtle research and conservation and has been used for many years around the world.

Of course, the use of satellite transmitters has to be carried out with careful considerations, amongst others of the weight of the transmitter and the turtle, the health status of the animal and its dimensions, the knowledge gained from the deployment on the long term and how the knowledge can contribute to sea turtle conservation.

Satellite telemetry has greatly enhanced our understanding of sea turtle migration routes and habitat preferences, on the basis of which conservation managements plans can and have been made. Maltese waters and the Sicily channel host a large number of juvenile turtles from the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and it is thus important to identify if there are areas where most of the interaction between turtles and fisheries takes place, apart from other threats, to be able to direct better conservation plans.

It is crucial also to inform the public that this project was done with the help of world renowned experts who have been carrying out such satellite tagging around Europe and even beyond for quite some time.

The experts included high ranking professionals from Germany, Tunis, Italy and Malta. Most of them have doctorate and post-doctoral degrees specifically on marine turtles.

All of them have been working on marine turtles and their conservation for quite some time and they all are world recognised Marine Turtles Experts appointed on the Species Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

Apart from the above, it should also be noted that the professional experts from Mepa working on this and related projects, are scientists and include specifically trained officials.

If Mr Galea wants any further information on the practice of satellite telemetry, he may contact the responsible researchers from the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn of Naples, who attached the transmitters on the Maltese turtles.

I hope Mr Galea and the public can thus be assured that the conservation of such turtles was at the forefront before embarking on such a project.