Intense tourism activities are stopping sea turtles from laying eggs on Phuket's Mai Khao Beach, a Thai fishery academic said yesterday.

Kongkiat Kittiwattanawong from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre said sea turtles normally laid eggs between November and March, and this time around there are 15 nests in Phang Nga's Thai Muang Beach and Phra Thong Island. Of the nests, two are those of the nearly extinct leatherback turtles. This is also the first time that sea turtles have laid eggs in Krabi's Lanta and Phai islands, he added.

However, no eggs were laid in Phuket's Mai Khao Beach because tourist activities were driving the turtles away. He said the cooler weather this year slowed sea turtles from laying eggs at Phang Nga's Koh Huyong as well as other areas in the Andaman.