Khaled Zaki with the Hawksbill turtle he came across at the Old Club Reef in Qatar
By Bonnie James/Deputy News Editor

Though the waters around Qatar are generally favourable for marine turtles, more awareness would go a long way in protecting the endangered creatures, a diving expert and marine enthusiast has said.
“Six of the seven species of marine turtles are listed as endangered or critically endangered, and the outlook is increasingly grim,” Khaled Zaki said quoting the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Zaki is involved in efforts to create awareness on marine turtle conservation.
“Each female turtle lays hundreds of eggs at a time, but very few hatchlings survive the first year,” he said.
Predators including crabs, dogs, foxes and birds often kill the hatchlings as they make their way from the nest to the sea for the first swim.
Even after reaching the sea, many hatchlings fall prey to marine predators, pollution and boat strikes.
It takes decades for young turtles to reach maturity and start to breed, and adult turtles must live to reproduce over many years for the population to thrive.
Fewer and fewer turtles are living long enough to reproduce because of various threats, according to WWF.
Marine turtles are also threatened by humans who harvest turtle eggs and cause the destruction of nesting beaches.
“But the Ministry of Environment and a few other major organisations in Qatar are taking good care of the turtles and this is evident when we dive at the Old Club Reef next to Sealine Beach Resort,” said the marine consultant and underwater filmmaker.
Zaki recalled coming across a small turtle a few months ago. Upon seeing photos of the turtle, Qatar Museums Authority consultant and marine biologist Ibrahim Fouad confirmed it was a Hawksbill, three to four years old.
The beaches of Khor Al Udeid or Inland Sea, which is a protected area, and the nearest island of Al Ashat are good nesting grounds for marine turtles, Fouad said.
Citing his experience, Zaki said fishermen release back into the sea turtles that stray into their nets and responsible divers and beachgoers ensure turtle nests, eggs and hatchlings are unharmed.
Experts have reported earlier that though several species of turtles visit the waters around Qatar only Hawksbill turtles nest here, on five or six beaches between Fuwairit on the north-east coast and Umm Tais at the tip of the peninsula, including a stretch of coastline within the Ras Laffan enclosure.
According to WWF, all stages of a marine turtle’s life are affected by environmental conditions such as temperature, even the sex of offspring.
Unusually warm temperatures caused by climate change are disrupting the normal ratios, however, resulting in a decline of male offspring.
Warmer sea surface temperatures can also lead to the loss of important foraging grounds for marine turtles, while increasingly severe storms and a rise in the sea level can destroy critical nesting beaches and damage nests.
The marine turtle species are Flatback, Green, Hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, Leatherback, Loggerhead and Olive Ridley.
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