Masirah – Specialists from the Environment Authority have recorded the return of a loggerhead sea turtle to a nesting beach on Masirah Island 12 years after it was first tagged, highlighting the species’ remarkable fidelity to its breeding grounds.

Ghasi bin Hamad Al Farsi, Environmental Monitoring Supervisor at the Environment Authority’s Masirah centre, said records showed the female turtle had been tagged during the 2014 nesting season at the same location.

“The return of this turtle after more than a decade confirms the strong attachment of loggerhead turtles to their original nesting beaches, a behaviour scientifically known as site fidelity,” Al Farsi said.

He added that the sighting demonstrates the female remains actively reproductive despite the passage of 12 years since it was first documented, providing valuable insight into the species’ longevity and breeding patterns.

The observation has been added to the Environment Authority’s database as part of field monitoring activities for the 2026 nesting season. The database tracks individually tagged turtles over long periods to support conservation and nesting beach management programmes on Masirah Island.