Mother turtle returns to Quy Nhon beach to nest for the fourth time

Endangered green turtles have returned to Nhon Hai beach for the fourth time in a month, laying about 100 eggs. The Community Organization for the Protection of Aquatic Resources in Nhon Hai Commune reported that green turtles, measuring 0.94 meters long with an 0.86-meter-wide shell and weighing over 90 kilograms, arrived at the egg-laying site around midnight on June 25. The turtles laid their eggs about 13 meters from the water’s edge, and experts decided not to move the nest to ensure a higher hatching rate. This marks the fourth time in the past month that turtles have laid eggs on Nhon Hai’s coast, with about 400 eggs in total from the same mother turtle.

The first clutch of eggs is expected to hatch by July 21. Mr. Nguyen Ton Xuan Sang, a member of the community organization, recounted the excitement of tourists witnessing the turtles laying eggs and their decision to donate money for surveillance cameras to protect the turtles. The Vice Chairman of Nhon Hai Commune, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Nam, is collaborating with the Fisheries Department and a local business to conduct a communication campaign on June 27 to raise awareness about protecting sea turtle nesting grounds and encourage public participation in conservation efforts.

Ms. Bui Thi Thu Hien, an expert on sea turtle conservation at IUCN, shared that female turtles ready to reproduce can swim over 600 miles, often returning to their birthplace to lay eggs. After laying eggs, mother turtles typically forage near the shore, mainly in coral reef areas. Each turtle’s reproductive cycle spans 3 to 5 years, laying eggs 2 to 5 times per breeding season. Previously, a green turtle with a Malaysian tag weighing nearly 100 kg swam to Bay Canh Island in Con Dao to lay 108 eggs, despite the island being about 550 km from the nearest city in Malaysia, Kuala Terengganu.

The green turtle, also known as vich (Chelonia mydas), is one of seven species of sea turtles. All seven species are listed on Appendix I of CITES, with most listed on Appendix I and II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), except the flat-shelled turtle. These sea turtle species are crucial to marine ecosystems and require conservation efforts to ensure their survival for future generations.