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The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) released to sea a sea turtle surrendered by fishermen who found this in their net last Friday.

Dr. Westly Rosario, chief of the BFAR’s National Integrated Fisheries and Technology Development Center (NIFTDC) in Dagupan, said the fishermen brought the sea turtle to his office, noting it belongs to an endangered specie.

Thanking the fishermen for their good deed, Rosario said they first fed and nursed the sea turtle before releasing back in the deeper portion of the sea to ensure that it will not go back to the shore again.

The sea turtle, he said, was as big as a basin and he suspects it is several years old and was among the sea turtles that was earlier accidentally caught by fishermen and surrendered to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) then released back to the sea after putting a name tag.

The fishermen confirmed they caught the sea turtle twice in their net and after the first time, it was put back to the sea but it again went into their net the second time around.

Rosario admitted noticing increased awareness of the people about endangered species, that is why they now surrender to the BFAR any sea turtle or sea mammal they found stranded in the shores.

He traced this increased awareness to the existence of a fish cemetery, the first of its kind in the country of not the world, where dead sea mammals and giant sea turtles were entombed. - pna

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