6 endangered green sea turtles released
BALER, Aurora — Six endangered female green sea turtles were released into the sea of this town by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Friday.
The releasing of these endangered marine mammals is part of the annual celebration of the Philippine Environment Month.
According to DENR Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) chief Merliza Torre, these green sea turtles were accidentally trapped in a fish corral owned by a local resident in Ditinagyan coastal village.
“Upon rescue, we immediately examined the turtles and found no injury incurred among them,” Torre said. The rescued animals were measured with having an average carapace length of 42 centimeters.
These green sea turtles were accidentally trapped in a fish corral owned by a local resident in Ditinagyan coastal village.
After further inspection by the CENRO of Casiguran, they deemed the animals are in good condition and were released with help from the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office of Casiguran, Aurora State College of Technology and Samahang Bantay Kalikasan ng Casiguran.
Mary Jane Aragon, forest technician of CENRO Casiguran, explained that turtles were tagged to primarily identify them as “individuals.”
She said this will provide more information on the number of green sea turtles in the area, their habitat residency, movement patterns, and other information that are vital in the marine turtle conservation.
Torre said that since January of 2020, they have released 53 green sea turtles in the waters of Casiguran. Forty-four of these were tagged, while the other nine turtles were untagged due to immaturity.
“Our green sea turtles are important to our ecosystem. Their existence is an important indicator of a balanced and healthy marine life,” Torre said, urging local residents to help the DENR in protecting marine species and other wildlife.
The CENRO chief urged the public to report activities, especially illegal trade of wildlife, to the DENR.
Of the seven species of marine turtles in the world, five of them are found nesting in the coastal towns of Morong in Bataan, San Antonio in Zambales and in the coastal areas of Aurora.