Results from an experimental head starting program for hawksbill sea turtles in the UAE

Summary

Hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), IUCN-listed as Endangered since 1970, are among the primary marine turtle species using UAE waters for foraging and nesting on offshore islands, prompting the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi to run an experimental head-starting program at Jarnain Island, 140 km off Abu Dhabi, aiming to boost wild populations by rearing a portion of wild hatchlings in captivity before release. A fenced rearing unit with linear seawater tanks of two sizes held hatchlings collected from natural nests on the island, fed a high-protein floating pellet diet, treated for bite injuries from aggressive tank-mates, and released back at their natal beach once reaching set age and weight milestones between 2 and 12 months; over four years, 2,640 healthy hatchlings were released, including 48 tagged yearlings held over a year. More than 80% of hatchlings were released within six months rather than the full year, and captive husbandry and mortality-reduction procedures were successfully standardized. However, no tagged individual has ever been recaptured or reported, leaving the program unable to confirm whether reared turtles are surviving and eventually breeding in the wild, the entire stated purpose of the effort. Major difficulties included the remote experimental site, unavailability of durable long-term tags, and no established method for monitoring released turtles at sea. The project rates itself a Failure, concluding that head-starting was launched without a feasible post-release monitoring plan and may not be an effective conservation tool for this species, with habitat protection recommended as the priority instead.