A FISHERMAN rescued a female Olive ridley sea turtle trapped in the fishnet while fishing in the waters of Bucay, Ilog, Negros Occidental at around 7:30 a.m., recently.
Federico Alilain, a resident from Sitio Mapait, Brgy. Su-ay, Himamaylan City informed the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Kabankalan about a sea creature trapped on his fishnet. The Office immediately responded and sent a team to the area. The body of the sea turtle was in good condition and has never been tagged.
Conservation Development Section (CDS) Chief Lucia Salazar of CENRO Kabankalan and Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) personnel Rusiel Escanilla Placio did the measuring of the turtle’s carapace and the tagging on the flipper of the Olive ridley for identification and information purposes.
The female Olive ridley has a carapace length of 62 centimeters and a width of 65 centimeters. It was released to the sea by the Wildlife Enforcement Officers (WEO) on the day after the rescue.
In Negros Occidental, the field office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) continues to fulfill its mandate in taking care of the marine wildlife species amidst the pandemic brought about by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Aside from abundant coastal and marine wildlife, the province also has rich forestlands which are habitat of many terrestrial wildlife species, according to CENR Officer Rosievel Dimatulac who also responded in rescuing the vulnerable sea turtle.
The Olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) is known for its olive-colored carapace and is usually found in warm, tropical waters of Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. It is listed as Vulnerable (VU) in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“As the primary government agency tasked to protect, conserve and manage the environment and natural resources, the DENR in Western Visayas continues to deliver its basic services for the people despite the virus threat,” said Francisco E. Milla, Jr. regional executive director of DENR 6.
“We must ensure a sustainable future for the present and future generations. One of these resources that must be sustained is the unique marine wildlife such as the Olive ridley. Let us protect them so they can someday be seen and enjoyed by our children’s children,” Milla added.
Enhancing biodiversity conservation is one among the ten priority programs of Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu.(DENR 6/PN)
