Marine turtles returning to Nha Trang Bay

A dashboard camera of a specialist at the Conservation Department of Nha Trang Bay Management Board captured a sea turtle swimming in the waters of Hon Mun (Nha Trang Bay) on October 4. This is a good signal for the marine environment in Nha Trang Bay.

Environmental enrichment

Marine turtles experience a diversity of habitats in their life. They tend to spend their lives in relatively shallow continental shelf waters. Once mature, females come ashore to lay eggs typically on the same sandy beach where they themselves hatched. It takes sea turtles 30 – 50 years to mature but few survive to adulthood with estimates ranging from one in 1,000. The migration process lasts for months because sea turtles spend the daytime migrating, foraging for food, swimming and exploring their surroundings and they find coral reefs to rest at night. The probability of sea turtles appearing in the sea is often rare, requiring clean water quality and food sources.

Marine turtle returning to Nha Trang Bay.

According to the report of Nha Trang City People's Committee, Nha Trang Bay has a diverse ecosystem, creating a stable habitat for some species of sea turtles. Therefore, decades ago, sea turtles used to come to lay eggs on beaches and islands such as Hon Tre and Hon Mun, especially on Dam Tre (Vinh Nguyen Ward), where sea turtles are often seen returning to lay eggs every year from April to September.

However, the number of adult sea turtles has decreased significantly for many reasons, including human activities and pollution. Currently, in Nha Trang Bay, there is only one natural turtle nesting ground in Bai Bang area of ​​Hon Tre Island. In 2009, a turtle was discovered coming ashore in Dam Tre to lay 3 clutches of eggs which were protected by the authorities until the baby turtles returned to the sea. through a biodiversity survey in Nha Trang Bay, the authorities discovered an adult sea turtle in Hon Tre in August 2015; a clutch of eggs was discovered in Dam Tre beach in June 2016; sea turtles are seen appearing in Nha Trang Bay Marine Protected Area. It is a positive sign, showing that it is essential to zone and protect the turtle nesting grounds.

Developing sea turtle conservation plan

The Nha Trang Bay Master Plan for Restoration to 2030 issued by the Provincial People's Committee in November 2022 defines the task of "Supporting the restoration and conservation of marine turtles in the Nha Trang Bay Marine Protected Area and neighboring waters". Nha Trang Bay Management Board has proposed including Dam Tre - Hon Tre area in the adjustment plan of the General Planning of Nha Trang City as a basis for establishing a turtle nesting ground in Nha Trang Bay Marine Protected Area.

The Bay Management Board has coordinated with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to implement a program to monitor plastic waste on beaches and at the seabed and conserve sea turtles based on the community in 2023 in Nha Trang.

A corner of Nha Trang Bay.

In 2023, the unit and IUCN experts conducted a survey of the Bai Bang Lon - Dam Tre turtle nesting ground; boosted propaganda on environmental protection, sea turtle conservation and a field survey combined with clean-up on Bai Bang Lon - Dam Tre with the participation of Bai Bang management enterprises and the Youth Union of Khanh Hoa University; coordinated with tourism enterprises on the bay to raise public awareness of sea turtle conservation and plastic waste reduction, especially among high school students. Currently, the Bay Management Board has continued to coordinate with IUCN to develop a plan to conserve marine turtles on the bay, and protect the turtle nesting ground of Bai Bang Lon, where turtles used to lay eggs.

According to Dam Hai Van, Deputy Chief of Nha Trang Bay Management Board, to ensure the protection of marine species in general and sea turtles in particular, local authorities need to issue legal documents on biodiversity conservation to create a legal basis for the preservation of endangered turtle species; build models, establish and effectively manage protected areas to conserve endangered turtle species, establish information networks and develop mechanisms on turtle conservation; The effective management and conservation of sea turtles in Nha Trang Bay will help create a living habitat for sea turtles to return to Bai Bang Lon - Dam Tre to lay eggs and thus enrich biodiversity and create high-value tourism products on Nha Trang Bay.

T.Thinh

Translated by N.T