Baby turtles hatched at Golden Bay on this day one year ago, in what was the first such recorded event in a generation.

A total of 85 eggs were laid by a female loggerhead turtle on August 1, of which 71 hatched successfully, Nature Trust recalled in a statement today.

Watch: Turtles hatch at Golden Bay in first recorded event in a generation

“It was a great day since while marine turtles are on the danger of extinction after 200 million years on our planet and their nesting sites are in decline globally, the one in Malta hatched successfully.

“All 71 hatchlings made it safely to the sea with the help of the Nature Trust Malta volunteers and ERA officials,” it said.

Times of Malta videographer Mark Zammit Cordina spent almost two weeks sitting with nighttime Nature Trust volunteers tasked with watching over the eggs and was on site, camera in hand, when the turtles finally hatched. 

In today's statement, Nature Trust noted that in many Mediterranean beaches, many hatchlings got lost on their way to the sea and were either found dead through dehydration, entanglement in litter or were caught by other predators on the beach.

But the real problem was pollution and marine litter. “This is a big challenge for these animals.”

Nature Trust said that three turtles were rescued in the Maltese waters this year. One lost a flipper that got entanglement with marine debris. Three years ago, a rare leatherback turtle weighing close to 500kg lost its life through the ingestion of plastic. 

The organisation appealed to everyone to dispose of any litter in the correct way.

“We must all do our bit to help save marine ecology,” Nature Trust said.