TURTLE TAGGING. Biodiversity management staff of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office-Argao put a tag on one of the two marine turtles caught after being trapped in fishermen's net on the shoreline of Tinaan, Naga City, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Central Visayas reported on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019. The turtle was released back into the sea after the procedure. (Photo courtesy of DENR-7)
CEBU CITY – Environmental authorities on Tuesday urged fishermen and coastal families to report to their local environment officers if they find wildlife animals trapped in their nets or strayed into their vicinity.
Sheila Basilisco, biodiversity management officer of the Community Environment and Natural Resource Office (CENRO) based in Argao, Cebu, said fishermen and residents along the shorelines should neither release to the sea nor dispose of wildlife animals such as marine turtles that they catch or get entangled in their nets.
“Kun mahimo report mo sa inyong municipal or city environment and natural resources officers aron atong ma-record ang species sa wildlife animal nga madakpan ug atong mabutangan og tag before nato ma-release (If ever, the catch should be reported to municipal or city environment and natural resources officers for recording of the species of the wildlife animals caught and to put tags before their release),” Basilisco said in a phone interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Basilisco’s statement came after they posted on the social media account of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Monday the two green marine turtles (pawikan) trapped in a fisherman’s net in Barangay Tinaan, Naga City here last Sept. 16.
One of the turtles (Chelonia mydas) measured 57 centimeters long and 52 centimeters wide and the other one was 69 centimeters long and 64 centimeters wide.
CENRO-Argao personnel put a tag on each of the two turtles bearing the codes PH1445K and PH1448K before their release on the shoreline of Poblacion village in the same city.
Basilisco said fishermen reported to the community environmental warden in Naga the two turtles entangled in their fish net.
She said officials from Naga contacted CENRO-Argao as this is the only community environment office under the DENR in Central Visayas that has tags for marine wildlife due for release.
Tagging is done to make an inventory of the marine animals caught and later released into the sea as well as to record the species of wildlife animals under their jurisdiction.
Despite the fishermen and coastal families’ knowledge about Republic Act 9147, the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001 which prohibits the killing, destroying, inflicting injury, trading of wildlife species, authorities constantly remind them of the measures' provisions to prevent them from being tempted to sell these in the market.
There are eateries reportedly serving marine turtle stew in Pasil village but Basilisco said the area is now being closely monitored.
“The DENR-7 once again appealed to the public to help protect all wildlife and endangered species especially the sea turtles, locally known as pawikan,” DENR-7 said in a statement posted on its Facebook account. (PNA)
