Scubaism

More of the critically endangered Hawksbill turtles have returned to the state to lay eggs over the past decade. And more than half of those eggs have hatched.

Fisheries Department director general Datuk Junaidi Che Ayub said that in 1996, a total of 297 nestings were recorded while in 2006, the total had increased to 388.

For the corresponding period, the number of eggs recorded also increased from 36,101 in 1996 to 46,280 last year.

“A total of 24,872, or 53.74%, were successfully hatched,” said Junaidi after releasing Hawksbill turtle ‘Seri Melaka’ from the Turtle Management Centre in Padang Kemunting, Alor Gajah here yesterday.

With the release of ‘Seri Melaka’“, there are two more turtles left to be released under the Hawksbill Satellite Telemetry project this year. Seri Melaka was released into the Straits of Malacca after being attached with a Transmitter Terminal Platform to track its migration routes via satellite.

Three turtles released in June and August last year at Pulau Upeh, Tanjung Dahan and Tanjung Tuan were tracked to Singapore and the Riau Islands in Indonesia.

The project would study the migration route of the Hawksbill turtles to identify its pattern of travel after nesting in Malacca, and also its foraging habitat in the sea and land.

Junaidi said with the findings, the department, along with other agencies such as WWF-Malaysia and local universities, would help raise awareness among the local community.

“A mother turtle may die because it was caught in a net, or from pollution, or caught on purpose for commercial reasons but if it were to live another 20 to 30 years, it can produce between 500 and 600 eggs each season,” said Junaidi.

“That means by losing that turtle, we would have lost between 10,000 to 15,000 baby turtles.”