An Observatory of the Marine Protected Area has been activated at the Punta Troia Castle in Marettimo where the monk seal will be studied

Marettimo will become a place of research and study of protected specimens at risk of extinction, starting with the monk seal, which after half a century of absence has returned to the waters of the Egadi. A pool of researchers from Ispra is now preparing to study the mammal, also thanks to special equipment that should allow them to photograph the animal. The group will work in the new premises of the Punta Troia Castle, recently restored and used not only as a prison museum, but also as an observatory of the marine protected area for the monk seal, as recalled by the director of the Reserve Stefano Donati.

"The Observatory - declared Stefano Donati, director of the Egadi Islands MPA - will serve not only as an important natural observation point for this very important protected species, given the strategic location of the castle, but also as a place of study, educational space and venue for conferences on the themes of the protection of the Monk Seal".

At the moment, we are trying to understand how many specimens of mumps seal have returned to live in the caves of Marettimo. The evidence found in various sites does not exclude that it could be a real colony.