Another Turtle Lost This Season: A Call to Action

A story that ended underwater, with the loss of a living creature that could have been saved. 

During a marine monitoring trip off Mukalla, on the Hadhramout coast of Yemen, a dead sea turtle is found floating at the surface. Yaslam Khaled from Mukalla Marine Discovery documents the discovery, pointing to marks around its neck that suggest entanglement in fishing nets.

The turtle had spent several hours underwater, trapped in the net, before eventually drowning.

The incident occurred during the upwelling season. Particularly from July to September, fish move into the shallow coastal waters off Mukalla, leading to a high concentration of fishing nets being deployed along the coastline.

It is also an important period for sea turtles. Turtles are frequently observed close to the coast at this time for mating, nesting and feeding. As they move through these shallow coastal waters, their chances of encountering fishing gear increase.

For Yaslam, this is not an isolated incident. Several local fishermen have told him that they frequently find turtles entangled in their nets. Some are still alive when the nets are retrieved and can be released. Others, unfortunately, have already drowned.

Fishing nets deployed along the coastline, particularly those left unattended for long periods, are therefore one of the major recurring threats facing sea turtles in the area.

The dead turtle found off Mukalla represents more than a single loss. It is a reminder of the risks sea turtles face along the Hadhramout coast and of the need to find ways to prevent these encounters from becoming fatal.

It's a simple, urgent message to all relevant authorities: what's happening to the turtles on the Hadhramout coast in Yemen is extremely harmful, but it can be fixed — through real action, starting now. 

Every turtle lost is a reason to think about how we can prevent the next one from suffering the same fate.

Content note: This video contains images of a dead sea turtle.

As we celebrate 25 years of the IOSEA Marine Turtle MOU, we showcase some of the people, initiatives and communities that have contributed to marine turtle conservation across the region. Visit our Story Map to discover their stories.