Abstract

Citizen science has enormous potential to gather important information on endangered marine wildlife in largely understudied areas, especially in locations with fast-growing tourism industries. Our study focuses on data collected through TurtleWatch Egypt (TWE), a citizen science initiative implemented to better understand marine turtles in the Egyptian Red Sea. The photos and videos that were provided by data collectors over 13 yr (2011–2023) enabled individual identification and long-term monitoring of green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), enhancing knowledge of their distribution, injury patterns, and recovery rates. Over the study period, 8769 turtle sightings were reported, identifying 778 unique individuals across 225 locations. Notably, 5% of these turtles were recorded with injuries, with vessel strikes accounting for 35% of injuries, particularly in high-traffic tourist areas such as Marsa Abu Dabbab, Hermes Bay, Makadi Bay, and Naama Bay. Although 31% of injuries were classified as severe, 53% of these showed signs of natural recovery over time, suggesting resilience among the turtles. This study’s findings were consistent with global research on high vessel-strike rates in areas with heavy boat traffic and indicate that green turtles in particular face significant risks in shallow coastal regions frequented by motorized boats. Although citizen science data had some limitations, such as the inability to determine injury causes for 46% of cases, the long-term data gathered through TWE provided critical insights into the self-healing abilities of turtles in the wild. This is particularly significant as no rehabilitation center operates in the Red Sea, making natural recovery crucial for injured turtles. Our findings also underscored the potential for citizen science in raising awareness and promoting safe, hands-off monitoring practices among local dive communities.