Hawke's Bay welcomes 'ancient mariners' for nesting

More than 80 green turtles crawl up the beach for laying eggs

KARACHI:

More than 80 green turtles have crawled up the Turtle Beach - also known as Hawke's Bay beach - after swimming hundreds of kilometres to nest and lay their eggs as their annual breeding season has already begun. In Pakistan, the breeding season starts around mid-August and continues until mid-February. Pakistan is one of 11 countries - including Canada, Germany, Italy, Australia, the UK, Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh - where turtles migrate to coastal areas for breeding.

A female green sea turtle, also known as the green turtle, black turtle or Pacific green turtle, normally lays between 80 to 110 eggs, while larger females (four feet and above) can lay up to 140 eggs. The eggs hatch into hatchlings within about 45 days. Interestingly, these green turtles are unique in that they do not see their babies after laying eggs.

The Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) recently invited 150 schoolchildren to witness these ancient mariners. The children will help release one- to two-day-old hatchlings into the sea, hoping that they will survive to breed several times throughout their lives. However, pollution and uncontrolled development pose serious threats to these breeding efforts. The Olive Ridley turtle is on the brink of extinction on Karachi's beaches, while the endangered green turtle species also faces risks.

Hawke's Bay, a key nesting place for green turtles, has seen a surge in female turtles this month, with over 80 females laying around 8,000 eggs. Ashfaq Memon, In-charge of SWD's Marine Turtle Conservation, said that the breeding season lasts from September to February, with this year's target set at 30,000 hatchlings. Since 1975, around 900,000 turtle hatchlings have been released into the Arabian Sea.

SWD volunteers patrol the beach at night during the breeding season. According to Memon, after a female turtle lays eggs and returns to the sea, the volunteers collect the eggs and shift them to the SWD hatchery where the eggs are re-buried, and the hatchlings are kept under watch. After hatching, the baby turtles are released into the sea, leaving their survival to the Mother Nature.

"Female turtles select a nesting spot on the beach, often at night, and dig holes up to 3.5 feet deep," Memon said, adding that rain during the incubation period can damage the eggs due to waterlogging." Wildlife experts say that litter, particularly plastic bags, can obstruct turtles as they lay eggs and threaten their hatchlings.

While talking about other risks, the wildlife experts say that recent constructions along the beaches have further imperilled the turtle habitats, leading to the destruction of crucial breeding grounds. Fishing nets and boat propellers also endanger these turtles.

The experts further say that the nature has bestowed upon female turtles a magnetic sense that helps them swim back to the same beaches where they were born. Green turtles are named for the green fat found in their bodies rather than their exterior colouration. The Sindh Wildlife Foundation has tagged some turtles, which have been found as far away as the coasts of Iran, India, and Muscat. The hatchlings do not return to shore after venturing into the sea for the first time, except for female turtles, which will return to their birthplace 10 to 15 times over their average lifespan of 70 years. Temperatures can influence the sex of the hatchlings: warmer sands produce females, while cooler sands yield males.

There are three main types of turtles in the world: sea turtles, freshwater turtles, and land turtles. Pakistan is home to seven species of sea turtles - eight species of freshwater turtles, and two species of land turtles. Turtles lay large clutches of eggs and play a crucial role in maintaining ocean health by feeding on seaweed.

According to a research from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), only one in a thousand turtle hatchlings survives to adulthood - the fact that necessitates better conservation efforts by both international organisations and the SWD to ensure the survival of these wonderful creatures which have lived on Earth since the time of dinosaurs.