Great Gulf Turtle Race commences today

Twenty-two of the 24 Hawksbill turtles that were recently tagged and equipped with GPS tracking devices will compete in the Great Gulf Turtle Race that will flag off today. The turtles' movements can be tracked by logging into the website, www.gulfturtles.com. The Emirates Wildlife Society and WWF Marine Turtle Conservation Project organised the Great Gulf Turtle Race to raise awareness about the conservation status and ecology of these critically endangered long-distance swimmers. Last year, scientists recorded a turtle leaving a beach south of Muscat, Oman, and travelling 20km per day for 50 days to reach Oman's Masirah Island which is about a thousand kilometres away. A turtle was recorded migrating from the Arabian Sea through the Straits of Hormuz to forage in the Gulf waters off Ajman. "In 21 days, a post-nesting Hawksbill turtle can travel more than 400km crossing several international borders. Last year, we recorded a turtle swimming more than 5,000km," said Lisa Perry, Programme Director at EWS-WWF. "These movements demand international conservation measures to protect nesting grounds in one country, migratory routes through another, and foraging grounds in yet another. Knowing these migration patterns is necessary to protecting their From / Gulf News