Provincial Bantay Dagat Task Force Capt Romeo Tapayan (red) and Philippine Coast Guard Marine Environment Protection Unit release back to the water in Kawit after it was rescued by brgy official in Talisay who was sold for meat. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
A green sea turtle was released yesterday in the Mactan Channel after being rescued from a vendor in Minglanilla town who would have sold it for its carapace or shell for at least P1,500
The “pawikan”, an endangered species whose capture or sale is illegal, was tossed back in the sea by the Cebu Provincial Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force a few meters off Shell Island.
The spot, where floating plastic bags were visible was just across the Pasil fish port, where stewed turtle is sometimes served on the sly.
“From here it can swim deeper,” said retired Navy captain Romeo Tapayan, coordinator of the task force, who decided on the location. He was joined by a team from the Philippine Coast Guard.
A resident alerted barangay Tulay officials led by village captain Romulus Lapot that someone was trying to sell a live turtle. Tapayan was then called.
“Had we not rescued the turtle it might have been killed and cooked,” Tapayan told Cebu Daily News.
Tapayan said the turtles are being sold in the black market for P1,500 to P2,000 each for its shell or its meat.
The carapace is used in making fashion accessories and decor for export.
The turtle was first brought to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) but was told to refer it to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Since the government office was closed on Sundays, the turtle was brought to the Coast Guard.
The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
It is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which means that it is threatened with extinction and needs the greatest level of protection, including restrictions on commercial trade.
Green turtles eat plants and migrate long distances between feeding grounds and the beaches where they are hatched according to World Wildlife.
In the Philippines, they are being harvested for human consumption and for its carapace or shell.
Republic Act 9147 of the Conservation and Protection of Wildlife Resources and their Habitats Act seeks to protect wildlife species, including the green sea turtle.
It is unlawful to kill, destroy, trade, collect, hunt or possess these species.