MTN 161:31-32 Rare Observation of Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) Nesting Activity in Khor Fakkan, Eastern Coast of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

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Rare Observation of Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) Nesting Activity in Khor Fakkan, Eastern Coast of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Fadi Yaghmour¹ & Maitha Jarwan²
¹Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre - Scientific Research Department, Environment and Protected Areas Authority, Kalba Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (E-mail: fadi.mohd@epaa.shj.ae);
²EPAA Khorfakkan Office (Scientific Research Department), Environment and Protected Areas Authority, Khorfakkan Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

It is known that the waters of the United Arab Emirates provide a significant feeding and nesting habitat for marine turtles (Pilcher et al. 2014). Of the seven extant species that occur globally, there are five species of marine turtles that are known to occur in the waters of the UAE. Of these, green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) are the most common (Baldwin & Gardner 2005). Globally, all marine turtles are listed in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species; however, hawksbill sea turtles are listed as Critically Endangered (NMFS & USFWS 1993; Meylan & Donnelly 1999). This is in large part due to the loss of over 80% of important hawksbill turtle nesting sites in recent decades (www.redlist.org).

In the Arabian Gulf Coast of the UAE, hawksbill turtles are known to nest on numerous islands and beaches in the territorial waters of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah (Pilcher et al. 2014). However, with the exception of one green turtle nest in 2014 and one hawksbill turtle nest in 2015 from Khor Kalba, Sharjah, there are no known contemporary records of marine turtle nesting activity on the Gulf of Oman coast of the UAE since marine turtle nesting has gradually diminished between the 1960s to the 1980s (Hebbelmann et al. 2016). Here we report an observation of hawksbill sea turtle nesting activity on Luluyah Beach, Khorfakkan, UAE.

On 16 May 2019 during a routine clean up of the beaches of the city of Khorfakkan, environmental inspectors observed a turtle on Luluyah Beach (25.38176 °N, 56.35952 °E) crawling toward the water (Fig. 1A). Video evidence of the encounter was captured and sent to Environment and Protected Areas Authority researchers. Observations of carapace morphology from the acquired video and the track morphology (track width = 66.1 cm) from site observations are consistent with hawksbill turtles. Observations of the tracks (Fig. 1B) show that, after emerging from the sea, the turtle crawled up the beach and attempted two digs before turning back toward the sea (Fig. 1C). Inspections of both excavations concluded that both attempts were not successful. This is believed to be due to the mix of rocks and coral fragments in the sand, making digging difficult. It is also possible that an approaching observer had frightened the turtle causing her to abandon her nesting attempt.

Figure 1. Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting attempt from Luluyah Beach (16 May 2019). [A] turtle crawling to the sea after its nesting attempt (Photo: Mohammed Mustafa); [B] turtle tracks; [C] turtle tracks and nesting attempt; [D] location of Luluyah Beach in the east coast of UAE; [E] stretch of Luluyah beach depicting point of encounter with turtle [Red circle: 25.38176 °N, 56.35952 °E]. Map Images courtesy of Google Earth, <http://earth.google.com/web/>

Although the exact reason for sporadic sea turtle nesting activity on the east coast of the UAE remains unknown, the observation of a nesting attempt, even an unsuccessful one, by a critically endangered marine turtle is an important finding. The observation of present and recent nesting activities in the area demonstrates the importance of identifying and conserving beaches that have characteristics of suitable nesting beaches, especially when considering the history of turtles nesting in the region.

Acknowledgements. The authors express their gratitude for the support of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The authors also acknowledge the support of her Excellency Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, chairperson of Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority, and Awatif Al Naqbi, EPAA Khorfakkan office manager. The authors extend their gratitude to Ibrahim Bin Masoud, head of the EPAA Environmental Inspection Department and EPAA Environmental inspectors Najat Khalifa, Shaima Ali and Esra Ibrahim for their continued valued reports and operational support.

BALDWIN, R. & A.S. GARDNER. 2005. Marine reptiles. In: Hellyer, P. & S. Aspinall (Eds.): The Emirates: A Natural History. Trident Press, London. pp. 242-251.

HEBBELMANN, L., J. PEREIRA, F. YAGMOUR & A. AL ALI. 2016. New records of sea turtle nesting at Al Qurm Wa Lehhfaiiah Protected Area beach after a 30-year absence. Marine Turtle Newsletter 150:7-9.

MEYLAN, A. & M. DONNELLY. 1999. Status justification for listing the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) as Critically Endangered on the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. Chelonian Conservation & Biology 3: 200-224.

NMFS & USFWS. 1993. Recovery plan for hawksbill turtles in the US Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico. <http://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/15996>

PILCHER, N.J, L. PERRY, M. ANTONOPOULOU, M.A. ABDELMOATI, T.Z. AL ABDESSALAAM, M. ALBELDAWI, M. AL ANSI, S.F. AL-MOHANNADI, R. BALDWIN, A. CHIKHI, H.DAS, S. HAMZA, O.J. KERR, A. AL KIYUMI, A. MOBARAKI, H.S. AL SUWAIDI, A.A. AL SUWEIDI, M. SAWAF, CTOURENQ, J. WILLIAMS & A. WILLSON. 2014. Short-term behavioral responses to thermal stress by hawksbill turtles in the Arabian region. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 45: 190-198.