ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – There has been a steady increase in the number of green turtles nesting on Malaysian beaches, said the Fisheries Department.
This is a positive result for conservation efforts especially for the green turtle, but other species also require special attention, said the department’s director-general Adnan Hussain.
The green turtle is the most common sea turtle species to lay its eggs on Malaysian beaches, with more than 10,000 coming onshore to nest in 2023 alone, he said.
“According to the data, the green turtle showed a significant increase in landings, from 3,878 in 2017 to 10,130 in 2023,” he said.
The green turtle also recorded the highest number of eggs laid, increasing from 330,793 in 2017 to 811,351 in 2023.
Green turtles are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Conservation efforts include a turtle egg incubation programme where eggs are collected from natural nests and incubated in centres to ensure high hatching rates, Adnan said.
“A total of 5.12 million turtle eggs were collected and incubated in conservation centres from 2017 to 2023.
“Of these, 3.62 million hatchlings successfully emerged and were released into the sea,” he said.
He added that the department monitors the nesting sites in collaboration with non-governmental organisations and fishermen, and local residents are incentivised to hand over turtle eggs to the conservation centres.
“Turtles nest throughout the year, but the peak season typically occurs between March and October, with June to September being the most active period,” he said.
“Based on data from 2017 to 2023, the four main turtle species that nest in Malaysia are the green turtle, hawksbill turtle, leatherback turtle and olive ridley turtle.
“The number of hawksbill turtles coming onshore to nest is still low, although there has been a slight increase.
“For the olive ridley turtle, only three landings were recorded between 2017 and 2024,” he said.
Adnan added that the department is working tirelessly to protect sea turtles and is hoping for the leatherback turtle to return to Malaysian shores. The largest of the sea turtle species, the leatherback turtle has not nested on Malaysian shores since 2017.
In 2024, there was a reduction in turtles coming onshore to nest, but the data has not been validated yet, Adnan said.
He noted that the number can fluctuate over the years, but the trend is stable.
Sea turtles are protected under the Fisheries Act 1985 and other state laws. Under the Fisheries Act 1985, the collection, possession or sale of turtle eggs is illegal, said Adnan.
Chief executive officer Rahayu Zulkifli of the Marine Conservation and Research Organisation Malaysia, widely known as Pulihara, said the nesting season has just begun in Terengganu.
