Green Sea Turtle Crawls Ashore at Hon Cau Marine Protected Area to Lay 82 Eggs

At around 7 PM on October 7, the green sea turtle crawled onto the sandy beach in darkness amid heavy rain that continued throughout the night. Due to unfavorable weather, conservation officers could not directly monitor the egg-laying process.

At around 5 AM on October 8, when inspecting the Bai Tau area, conservation forces discovered the clutch of eggs. All 82 eggs were brought back to the station for incubation, monitoring, and ensuring safety during their development process.

The Hon Cau Marine Protected Area features a diverse marine ecosystem, along with natural sandy beaches that serve as habitats, feeding grounds, and breeding grounds for many marine organisms. Among them, green sea turtles have repeatedly returned to these sandy beaches lay their eggs.

Since the beginning of the year, the Hon Cau Marine Protected Area has recorded 5 green sea turtle nests with 248 eggs. From 2013 to the present, there have been 87 turns of sea turtles coming ashore to lay total of 7,062 eggs. The year 2017 recorded the highest number, with 15 nests and 1,389 eggs.

Green sea turtles have been recorded nesting on many sandy beaches within the Hon Cau Marine Protected Area such as Bai Nhat, Bai Tau, Bai Truoc, Bai Trang Dao, and Bai Cau Cang. The continued return of green sea turtles is a positive signal for conservation efforts, as the natural sandy beaches here remain familiar breeding grounds for this rare marine turtle species.