Turtles are one of the most beloved of all animals. Since prehistoric times humans have been fascinated with these creatures. In the case of sea turtles the females come to shore, lay their eggs and depart, leaving their young to nature’s mercy. The hatchlings instinctively make their way down to the surf. It is a treacherous undertaking with the sea and sky filled with predators looking for an easy meal. Once in the water the hatchlings disappear and are not seen again on the same shores until they come back as adults to breed. Only in recent years have scientists come to understand the life cycle of these mysterious creatures.
People think of the GCC nations as desert lands, but sea turtles thrived for hundreds of thousands of years in this area. It is only in the last hundred years that the population of turtles in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman has been dramatically reduced. The reasons for their decline are many but the primary ones are pollution, hunting, destruction of breeding habitat and entanglement in fishing nets. Sea turtles are making a last stand on breeding beaches in Oman.
Fulbright scholar Professor Ibrahim Y. Mahmoud visited Saudi Arabia to inform Saudi scientists attending the First Saudi Science Conference at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran on the latest research about the sea turtles and request their active support in regional protection efforts. The professor has been studying turtles for 34 years, initially focusing on the life cycle of fresh water turtles but now his attention has shifted to the sea turtles. Mahmoud is doing research at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman with his partner, an assistant professor of Biology at the university, Abdul Aziz Al-Kindi.
“Right now in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman the population of sea turtles is diminished but stable,” said Mahmoud. “Unfortunately, current research shows that worldwide their numbers are still declining. Since the turtles do not reach sexual maturity until they are 30 to 40 years of age, and less than one percent of hatchlings reach such an age, it is very difficult to rapidly increase their numbers.”
There are four species of sea turtles in this area. They are the Green Turtle called “hamissah” in Arabic, which creates about 140,000 nests yearly in the area and eats sea grass and algae. The Loggerhead Turtle, know as “remani,” makes 34,000 nests and eats sponges and invertebrates. The Hawksbill Turtle, “sherfaf,” is in smaller numbers with 1,500 nests, eating mollusks and invertebrates. The most endangered is the Olive Ridley or “tukshar,” which creates only 150 nests yearly and eats crustaceans. The primary nesting area for the sea turtles in this region is at the demarcation point between the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman at Ras’al Hadd, a strip of beach 45 km long protected by the Sultanate of Oman. Every year 6,000 to 10,000 turtles, 90 percent of them Green, nest on that beach. This beach is the most eastern point of the Arabian world and the first place where Arabs see the sun rise each morning. It is also the last place where many sea turtles have any chance of breeding.
Since 1977, in an attempt to help research efforts, tagging operations have been ongoing at Ras’al Hadd. In addition to tagging, the scientists measure the turtles and take blood samples to check on their levels of reproductive and stress hormones. It is quite an undertaking as the creatures are quite large and must be treated with caution. Green Turtles weigh 150-200 kilos. Loggerheads are 90-120 kilos and even the smaller Hawksbills and Olive Ridleys are 40-60 kilos.
The project is well established and now other governments in the area report to the Ministry of the Environment in Oman about the movement of tagged turtles that are found on their beaches. Another important tagging operation is under way on the island of Masirah, which is located off the coast of Oman. The tagging program there is especially important for conservation efforts focused on the Loggerhead Turtles.
“We know that on the beaches of Bahrain and the UAE there has been devastation in the numbers of nesting females,” said Mahmoud. “Destruction of habitat and the contamination of the waters and beaches with hydrocarbons has been especially damaging. Pollution causes difficulties at nesting time and can also cause the turtles to develop tumors. People think that hydrocarbon pollution comes from oil spills but actually oil tankers cleaning their tanks contribute greatly to such pollution.”
It is difficult to get exact numbers of sea turtles in the area because their population is very dynamic. A turtle nests only every three years but then she can lay up to five clutches of containing 80-140 eggs depending on the species. There is usually very high mortality for the hatchlings.
“The beach at Ras’al Hadd is very narrow,” explained Mahmoud. “It is only half a kilometer in width and during the prime nesting season from June to October space is at a premium with as many as 200 turtles nesting each night. At first the turtles nest far up the beach but as it becomes more and more crowded some will nest near the tidal zone. This is catastrophic for the eggs, as the salinity there is so high that it kills the embryos. The emergence ratio for those nests is zero. Shore birds and foxes are also a danger.” Once the turtles hatch and make it off the beach their problems are not over. The fishing industry claims many turtle lives yearly. In waters off the United States where there are high numbers of turtles, fishing nets are designed with outlets where turtles can escape. Fishermen in the Gulf region are still not using such nets. A dead turtle entangled in a fishing net is a dreadful sight.
Hawksbill and Olive Ridley turtles are listed as endangered worldwide. The Dimaniyat Islands in the Gulf of Oman, 45 minutes from Muscat, are considered to be the last hope for the Hawksbill. These small uninhabited volcanic islands are the last major nesting area for the Hawksbills. The islands are a protected area in Oman and the Omani government is working hard to educate the population, especially fisherman on the importance of leaving the turtles in the area undisturbed. In addition to leaving the nesting areas undisturbed there is a serious issue with construction of hotels and recreational areas near the nesting sites. The turtles instinctively find their way back to the sea at night by moving toward light. Before electricity and man-made light sources were created the most brightly-lit area near the nesting beaches would be the ocean reflecting the light of the moon. Now sometimes the turtles become confused and head toward brightly-lit streets or the neon lights decorating buildings, often dying of exhaustion before their plight is discovered.
“I would like people in the Gulf region to understand that all the biologists in the world looking for any hope in saving the sea turtles are focusing on our efforts in Oman because what we have here is a global treasure,” said Mahmoud. “But we need cooperation across the region for our efforts to be successful. We must try to establish more breeding beaches and we must keep the waters in this area as clean as possible. All nations must educate fishermen on the importance of changing the type of nets they are using and of not attempting to catch the turtles for food.”
Mahmoud said that in addition to supporting the species of turtles that nest in the area, efforts must be made to protect some turtle species that only feed in the Gulf waters.
“The Leatherback Turtle, which weighs up to one ton and feeds on jellyfish is sometimes found in our waters,” said Mahmoud. “These are the most endangered turtles in the world and even though they don’t nest in this area we must protect them while they are in our waters. People often want to catch these creatures and eat them or show them as some sort of prize. This must be discouraged.”
Sea turtles have always had a high commercial value and a major role as a basic protein source for many coastal people. Humans have used various parts of the turtles for everything from cosmetics to leather. Unfortunately now these creatures are part of the rapidly increasing group of marine animals that are seriously threatened by over exploitation and other man-made disturbances. The migration of sea turtles begins at hatching and continues throughout their lives. Often they travel only a few kilometers daily between islands to feed. But when it comes time for them to reproduce they may journey across thousands of miles of ocean to reach their breeding beaches. This means that their survival depends on the action of not one nation but on the cooperation of the entire global community. The turtles gave much to mankind in centuries past when other resources were not available. Now it is time for us to respect this generosity by carving out a permanent niche on our planet for them.
