The recent nesting of a sea turtle on the Fujairah coast has been hailed as one of the most significant conservation events this year in the UAE. This is especially noteworthy as nonofficial records report no turtle nesting in the Emirate of Fujairah in 30 years. Only 3 other nestings have been officially registered on the UAE’s east coast in Khorfakkan and Kalba. This makes this occurrence a significant milestone for marine conservation efforts.
On May 4th, a sea turtle was observed laying eggs on the beach of the Miramar Al Aqah Hotel after several nesting attempts. The hotel staff were promptly notified by a tourist who spotted the turtle, and they quickly confirmed the sighting. The hotel security manager called upon Dr. Juan Diego Urriago to handle the situation. Dr. Fouad Lamghari, director of Fujairah Research Centre (FRC) and H.E. Aseela Al Mualla, Fujairah Environment Authority (FEA) General Director were informed promptly. At the same time, he contacted Fujairah Marine Ranger, Abdullah Bakhsh, and instructed him on how to protect the turtle nest. This is a critical and fundamental first response in these cases. The nest was covered with a gargoor (dome-shaped cage) to prevent natural predators such as foxes or cats from eating the eggs. The Miramar hotel management was also incredibly helpful and responsive, offering guidance over the phone until our arrival. The hotel guards the nest day and night to prevent disturbances by guests staying at the hotel.
The following day, Barbara Lang-Lenton, director of Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project Burj Al Arab at Jumeirah (DTRP) visited the site to evaluate the situation in person. This team of qualified turtle researchers is now working to protect the nest and devise measures to ensure successful hatching in 50 to 60 days. While the footage from the hotel staff made it difficult to identify the type of sea turtle, whether it was a Green Turtle or Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, this will be confirmed in due course. Interestingly, both Dr. Juan Diego grew up in Bogota and are marine biologists from Colombia. Now both of them work in marine conservation in the UAE.
This event highlights the urgent need to establish effective conservation measures to protect and promote sea turtle nesting along the coast. The public is encouraged to report any sightings of sea turtles nesting or incidents involving sea turtles along the UAE coast. The phone call from the hotel staff was a testament to the effectiveness of the awareness program initiated along the Fujairah coast in 2022. This was after an MoU between FRC-FEA and DTRP.
We are encouraging everyone to call the 24-hour toll-freeline 800TURTLE (800887853) if they come across any injured, sick, entangled, stranded, or dead sea turtles. Also, we highlighted that they should avoid removing anything (barnacles, oysters, etc.) from the turtle’s carapace. The number was donated by Protect Ambassador of the DRP Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi. He has always worked on protection and conservation strategies and understands the importance of this event. Therefore, he would like to share:
“The news of a turtle nest on the beaches of the Emirate of Fujairah is something to celebrate. Thanks to the wise leadership of our country, the UAE is focused on the protection of the environment and specifically our oceans. My sincerest congratulations and thanks to His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, member of the Supreme Council of the UAE and Ruler of Fujairah and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah for their leadership in ocean conservation. We have a duty to this country to play our part in keeping our beaches clean, protecting our oceans and the marine life that calls it home.”