Turtles are a topical subject for conversation in the Sultanate
of Oman. In fact, murmurs of their abundance here are already
beginning to echo around the world, prompting a well-deserved
claim to international distinction. Five, out of a recognized
seven species of marine turtles are found in the seas of the Arabian
Peninsula . Four of these nest on beaches along the vast and varied
coastline of Oman and between them they share records of global
significance, some worthy of esteemed enunciation, others indicating
cause for concern.
Green Light of Fame
At Ra’s al Hadd, the easternmost point of Arabia, turtle watchers
gather on moonlit beaches almost every weekend. They wait patiently
as green turtles (Chelonia mydas) begin to emerge from the sea
and haul themselves up the beach to a point above the high tide
line. Resting for a moment, the deep breaths of a mature adult,
weighing perhaps one hundred and ninety kilograms, are clearly
audible. Soft sand flung by the fore flippers surprises unwary
onlookers, as she begins to excavate a nest. Half an hour later,
an egg chamber, carefully fashioned by the hind flippers, is dug
in the bottom of the nest and filled with approximately 110 soft-shelled
eggs the size of ping-pong balls. Carefully covering the chamber
with sand, the turtle then returns to the sea, her duties as a
mother fulfilled.
While turtle watchers come and go, the eggs remain buried in the
sand for approximately 55 days before hatching. An eruption of
sand is followed by the appearance of energetic hatchling turtles,
small enough to rest easily in the palm of a hand – if they would
keep still for long enough. The first to emerge are those who
tunnel their way to the surface, whilst the layers below successively
push the excavated sand beneath them, rising together, as if on
an escalator, towards the surface. Then begins an impulsive race
for the sea and a life-long struggle for survival. Even before
reaching the pounding waves of a vast and threatening ocean, predators
such as wolves, foxes, ratels, seagulls and crabs, see to the
demise of most of the hatchlings. As little as two or three in
every ten thousand have been estimated to survive to adulthood.
In spite of the odds, green turtles, have been nesting on the
beaches of Ra’s al Hadd, for centuries. The egg-laying effort
has therefore been worthwhile and has succeeded in maintaining
a large population. Recognizing that the green turtles here constitute
probably the largest nesting population in the Indian Ocean (an
estimated 12-13000), the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and
Environment is playing a vital role in laying the foundation for
future generations of turtles. Turtle rangers patrol the beaches
in an attempt to ensure undisturbed nesting, whilst data they
collect is fed into the management planning process in Muscat.
From this will emerge a conservation program, which will be warmly
greeted by many and contribute further to the green turtles’ increasing
fame.
Talking of Turtles…
Certainly, the green turtle’s renown in Oman is justified. Nesting
activity at Ra’s al Hadd is unusually high and continues year
round. But it is not restricted to this area. Green turtles also
nest on over two hundred and sixty other beaches along the coast,
the effort of at least 20,000 turtles. However, there is considerably
more to talk about in Oman than nesting green turtles alone. For
example, hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting on
the Daymaniyat Islands in the Gulf of Oman form a nesting population
of global importance to this highly endangered species. In addition,
how many people are aware that Masirah Island is host to all four
of Oman’s nesting species of turtle? One of the few sites where
olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) are found in the
region, Masirah Island also boasts the world’s largest nesting
population of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). An astonishing
30,000 have been estimated to nest in the months of May and June
alone, on stretches of coast totalling no more than 25 kilometres.
Together, the loggerhead turtles of Masirah Island lay a calculated
average of three million eggs, every year.
Nesting aside, from shallow intertidal shelves to coral reefs
and open ocean, turtle feeding grounds in Oman are both rich and
extensive. Productive environments supporting favoured foods of
the green turtle, including beds of seagrass, shallow lawns of
algal turf and copious forests of seasonal kelp, have yielded
as many as 100 feeding turtles per kilometre of coast. Whether
or not these turtles are part of the same population as those
that nest in Oman, is not known. Are they perhaps an exclusive
Oman population of feeding and breeding turtles? Are they part
of migrant populations passing through the Sultanate, stopping
to feed wherever food is abundant? Or are they a mixture of resident
and migrant turtles? Tagging studies are underway in an attempt
to answer such questions. Already, turtles tagged on Masirah Island
and at Ra’s al Hadd have reached the shores of the United Arab
Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Somalia and Pakistan.
Conservation of turtles, that know no international boundaries,
is a complicated task and is compounded further by sensitive local
issues.
A Healthy Harvest?
In feeding grounds as rich as those in Oman, the harvesters can
also become the harvested. On the remote central coast of Bar-
al-Hikman, where green turtles congregate to feed in numbers of
unknown magnitude, local fishermen continue traditional fishing
practices, which include the harpooning and slaughter of turtles
for food. With the advent of outboard motor engines, fishermen
are able to harpoon many turtles a day, before selecting the most
suitable. This they decide by making an incision between the neck
and the shoulder, to test the fat content. Fat rich females are
preferred and although most of the meat is not used, the turtles
are cooked and eaten while still fresh, as tradition dictates.
However, coupled with the collection of turtle eggs and accidental
capture of turtles in fishing nets, harvest pressures have become
unsustainable and the survival of turtles in Oman is now a matter
for serious concern. Aware of the need to find a balance between
age-old customs and the requirements of future generations in
a modern world, issues such as this form a basis for discussion
within government offices. Education is considered a keystone
to turtle survival and already there is evidence that the message
is reaching a receptive audience.
Turtle Torque
On one occasion, a young fisherman came to the rescue of a female
green turtle, helplessly entangled in the float-line of a fish
trap, set by other members of his village. Tightly wound around
the turtle’s fore flipper, the torque of the rope had begun to
cut through the flesh at the shoulder joint. Initial panic at
the approach of the fisherman caused the turtle, having lost the
use of the bound flipper, to swim in desperate circles, worsening
her predicament. At first attempting to cut her free, a more effective
method of release was soon employed. Taking hold of the carapace,
the fisherman spun the turtle around in the water to unwind the
rope. Finally, loosened from the rope’s hold, she bolted to the
surface for one last breath then turned to her rescuer for a brief
moment before diving to safety.
The meaning of that final glance from turtle to human, is perhaps
captured by the fisherman, who simply remarked that, a turtle
which has swum the oceans since a time before the time of his
ancestors, but has no voice of her own, knows that action speaks
louder than words.