The waters around Dongsha were once important foraging and nesting grounds for Green Sea Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles in the South China Sea. When maritime fishing activities flourished during the Qing Dynasty, fishermen from Guangdong and Hainan Island began extensive harvesting in the Dongsha waters. Coupled with development activities during the Japanese occupation of Dongsha Island in the late Qing period, as well as subsequent military and fishing activities in the early Republic era, the destruction of both terrestrial and marine habitats drove sea turtle populations to the brink of endangerment. Since the establishment of Dongsha Atoll National Park in 2007, the Marine National Park Headquarters has actively collaborated with the Coast Guard Administration to protect terrestrial and marine ecosystems, striving to restore a safe habitat for wildlife.
Dongsha Atoll National Park features extensive beaches with minimal human disturbance, providing ideal nesting habitats for sea turtles. Its surrounding waters also contain vast seagrass beds and coral reefs, offering abundant food sources and shelter for hatchlings. Historically, only two nesting records have been documented—one hawksbill turtle in 1995 and one green sea turtle in 2011. Other records have mostly involved sea turtles accidentally entangled in fishing nets and subsequently rescued.
Sea turtle crawl tracks left on the beach after nesting
On May 30, 2015, turtle crawl tracks and a nesting pit were discovered once again. Based on the size of the sand pit, it was inferred that the turtle had successfully laid eggs. The average incubation period for sea turtle eggs is about 50 days. After hatching, the hatchlings remain beneath the sand while absorbing their yolk sacs and allowing their umbilical scars to heal, a process that takes at least two to three days. They typically emerge at night when temperatures are lower and instinctively head toward the sea. About a week before the expected hatching period, park staff installed infrared cameras around the nesting site and conducted patrols in hopes of capturing the moment of emergence. Finally, at around 9:00 p.m. on July 24, the infrared camera recorded a hatchling emerging from the nest. This exciting discovery demonstrated that years of conservation efforts at Dongsha Atoll National Park are beginning to show positive results, and it is hoped that the marine environment will continue to recover as a safe habitat for wildlife.
A sea turtle hatchling emerging from the sand nest