Turtle excerpts have raised concerns that the critically endangered hawksbill turtles are safe but worry as the illegal market expands.
Marine species program manager for the World Wide Fund for Nature Christine Madden Hof says the turtle species has been decimated, with a loss of around 80 per cent of the hawksbill population with Rosemary Island, off the coast of the Pilbara is home to one of the largest nesting locations in the world for the species.
Wildlife Forensic Scientists are using DNA testing to track which populations' items sold by poachers made from the shell are coming from in order to crack down on illegal poaching.