• Five out of the seven marine turtle species around the world are listed as Endangered.
  • A female turtle can lay up to 120 eggs in one nest and can nest up to 3-4 times in one season.
  • This project is currently tracking 24 female Hawksbill turtles from UAE, Oman, Qatar and Iran.
  • Fishermen can now use turtle excluder devices to prevent accidental capture of marine turtles.

Project records nearly 6,500 points of location data showcasing turtles’ regional migration patterns

After six months of tracking twenty turtles across Iran, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Emirates Wildlife Society - WWF (EWF-WWF) has compiled its first report on the Marine Turtle Conservation Project.

Our sea turtles are international travelers! From the satellite data, we can see that some turtles travel from Iran to Saudi Arabia, crossing the international boarders of the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain. The migration data is important for formulating region-wide conservation policy to protect turtle migration routes and foraging grounds.

The report outlines the results provided by the satellite mapping software which recorded nearly 6,500 locations helping scientist determine the turtles exact movements and locations across the region. Anyone can track these turtles through the Internet website and determine their exact location today at gulfturtles.com.

For more information about our achievements so far please click here

In April and May 2011, EWS-WWF will be looking to build on the data received and expand the pool of turtles tracked. As more location data is gathered over time from more turtles, we will be in a better position to inform the relevant authorities in each country of the habitat use patterns, both spatially and temporally, for hawksbill turtles in the region.

For more information about the future project activities please click here