Hatching success of Hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in a protected hatchery site in Nakhiloo Island, Persian Gulf

Hawksbill sea turtle is one of the two important marine turtles, breeding and nesting regularly in the Iran beaches of the Persian Gulf. Hawksbill turtles are critically endangered and there is very little information regarding their Indian Northwest population. Thirty eight nests of Eretmochelys imbricata were monitored during the nesting season in Nakhiloo Island. Half of the nests were transferred into a protected hatchery site, in which there were no risk of predation and high-tide inundation. All nests were closely monitored during the incubation period. The pivotal duration was recorded between 48 and 52 days for all nests. During the incubation period, the mean of nest temperature were 34.7 +/- 1.3 and 34.4 +/- 1.5 degrees C for hatchery site and in situ respectively, which led to female biased. Although there is no significant difference in total eggs between the hatchery site and in situ, other measured parameters were significantly higher in the hatchery site (P < 0.01). An indirect relationship (R-2 cubic = 0.842) between percentages of the hatch rate and healthy eggs was observed. The PCA biplots ordination revealed that 83.4% of overall variance was influenced by healthy eggs and live hatchlings which were distributed in the hatchery site. In an opposite position, the nests at the in situ were mostly associated with either the axis of unhatched eggs (3.4% of overall variance) or dead hatchlings and unhealthy eggs (12.7% of overall variance). Obtained data implies that the selection of hatcheries can prevent the nests being destroyed by the sea waves, tides, other sea turtles and predators. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.