The year's first nest of green sea turtles hatched at the core nesting beach of Huidong Sea Turtle National Nature Reserve late on September 9. A total of 59 tiny hatchlings emerged from the sand one after another.
The reserve takes extra measures to improve hatchling survival rates. Newly hatched turtles are not released directly into the sea. Instead, they are transferred to a nursery during their most vulnerable early stage. Once they have grown sufficiently, they undergo training to adapt to life in the wild before being assessed and released into the South China Sea in batches.
Since the reserve was established in 1985, it has protected 745 nests of wild sea turtles that came ashore to lay eggs and released 68,516 hatchlings. Since 2001, it has also rescued 1,126 stranded or injured wild sea turtles, 835 of which have been rehabilitated and returned to the sea.
The reserve has strengthened sea turtle conservation through scientific research, infrastructure upgrades, regular patrols and joint enforcement efforts to curb illegal fishing practices that threaten these animals.
With the nesting season still underway, the reserve continues round-the-clock monitoring and patrols. It plans to develop a smart monitoring platform and establish additional rescue and public education bases to further strengthen its sea turtle conservation network.
Author | He Fengyu
Photos | Huizhou Daily
