Masirah survey bolsters protection of endangered sea turtles

2026-02-22 - 15:56

Muscat – The Environment Authority in South Sharqiyah has launched an extensive field study on Masirah Island to monitor sea turtle nesting activity and assess hatching success rates along the island’s beaches. The project focuses on the olive ridley turtle nesting season, which runs from February to May, covering nesting sites in the southern part of Masirah Island. This period overlaps with the hawksbill turtle season, while the loggerhead turtle season extends from May to October. Field teams are surveying an 84km stretch of Masirah’s coastline, conducting daily monitoring in two shifts. The morning patrol documents turtle tracks and nests, returns stranded turtles to the sea and records any turtle mortalities. The night shift monitors active nesting, tags turtles for tracking purposes and oversees beach activity to ensure protection during the nesting process. Ghassan bin Hamad al Farsi, Director of the Turtle Nesting Season Project in Masirah, said the initiative aims to strengthen conservation efforts and preserve marine biodiversity in the governorate. He added that field monitoring operations are carefully aligned with sea conditions and tidal movements to ensure accurate documentation of nesting activity and to support the long-term sustainability of turtle populations on the island.