THE number of turtle eggs at Labuan’s marine parks has dwindled by 19.6% possibly due to an increase in sea transport (vessel and passenger boat) traffic, climate change and sea pollution.
Labuan Fisheries Department director Faizal Ibrahim Suhaili said 2,302 eggs were found in 2022 compared with 2,864 eggs in 2021.
He said the islands of Kuraman, Rusukan Besar and Rusukan Kecil were home to hawksbill turtles and green turtles with 20 nests found on the beaches in 2021, before dropping to 19 last year.
“We are taking steps to ensure our beaches at marine parks are safe for turtle landing, but there are factors that are beyond our control like climate change and the increase in sea traffic and sea pollution that can contribute to the decline in the sea turtles landing on our beaches,” he told Bernama.
Faizal Ibrahim said the number of egg hatchings recorded last year was 2,061 compared with 2,646 in 2021.
A study by SeaWorld Parks revealed that for most sea turtle species, undisturbed nests can have more than 90% successful hatchings, while nests disturbed by humans or animal predators tend to have a 25% or even much lower success rate.
Meanwhile, Faizal Ibrahim said his team found 52 hawksbill turtle eggs at Pohon Batu beach last year with 48 hatched and the turtles released to the wild.
He said from January to March, 1,332 hawksbill turtle eggs were found on Pulau Kuraman and Rusukan Besar.
Faizal Ibrahim reminded members of the public to work closely with the Fisheries Department to protect the endangered species from extinction.
