Sea Turtle Stranding Survey Reveals Mortality Risks along the Saudi Waters of the Western Arabian Gulf

Maneja, R.H..; Miller, J.D., Flandez, A.V.B., Alcaria, J.F.A., Basali, A.U., Asiri, Y.Y., Panickan, P., Alnuwairah, M.A., Qurban, M.A.B., Lozano Cortes, D.F., and Qasem, A., 2024. Sea turtle stranding survey reveals mortality risks along the Saudi waters of the Western Arabian Gulf. In: Phillips, M.R.; Al-Naemi, S., and Duarte, C.M. (eds.), Coastlines under Global Change: Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2024 (Doha, Qatar). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 113, pp. 901-905. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Stranding surveys for sea turtles were carried out along the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia in the Arabian Gulf in 2017 and 2018. Three transects representing the northern (Ras Mishab, 25-km), middle (Abu Ali Island, 37-km) and southern (Uqair, 47-km) coasts of the Eastern Province were monitored. The three sites were all exposed to the prevailing southward flowing coastal currents. Thus, stranding of sea turtles were highly likely along the sites. The survey was carried out using a quadbike All-Terrain-Vehicle following the water line along the beach. Stranded sea turtles were measured, marked, and buried along the beach berm. A total of 44 green and 4 hawksbill sea turtles were recorded during the surveys. Ras Mishab and Abu Ali each had 16 stranded green turtles while Uqair had 12 green turtles. Hawksbill turtles were found in Abu Ali Island and Uqair. Size frequency distribution of stranded green turtles showed that juvenile turtles were observed in all areas with smaller individuals recorded more in Uqair. The smallest stranded green turtle recorded was 26.3 cm curved carapace length in Uqair. Stranded adult green sea turtles were observed in all sites with more stranding recorded in Ras Mishab and Abu Ali Island. Population distribution of sea turtles is deduced based on the patterns of stranded turtle occurrence. Potential sources of mortality risks and conservation measures will be discussed.