By Henrylito D. Tacio
“Pawikan could be extinct by year 2000.” That was the title of a feature released by Techno Dispatch and published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
“A recent survey on the population of green sea turtle — known locally as pawikan — shows that this amphibian is vanishing at a very fast rate, so much so that it could be totally extinct by year 2000,” the report said.
The report cited three primary reasons why green sea turtles are disappearing from the Philippine waters. These were:
• The high rate and uncontrolled collection of marine turtles and turtle eggs in major breeding and nesting grounds;
• The appearance of products and by-products in the local markets as well as the increasing demand for turtle decorations in the international market; and
• Dislocation of nesting habitats through development of tourist zones and settlement areas.
It’s now 14 years after the prediction was issued and green sea turtles are still very much around. But far from improving, its population continues to dwindle. And so are the other marine turtles found in the Philippines.
Marine turtles are believed to be the longest-living animals among reptiles. Some species are known to live for as long as 200 years under normal conditions. They belong to the order Chelonia, a type of reptiles that has existed and flourished since prehistory, with very little change in their basic body structure.
There are only eight known species of marine turtles and five of them can be found in the country. All species are classified as either endangered or threatened. Most Filipinos hardly know any of them. Even scientists themselves are still baffled by these species.
“I don’t know any branch of science where we have applied so much effort and learned so little,” commented Richard Byles of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “We don’t know where each species grows to maturity, or how it takes them to grow up, or what the survival rates are.”
Unfortunately, these marine creatures will soon be gone — forever. “Unless we seriously take on the task of protecting the much endangered marine turtles, these ancient creatures will soon be extinct,” said a Filipino environmentalist.
The five species found in the country are the green sea turtle (known in the science world as Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate), Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), and Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea).
Because of its meat, the green sea turtle is considered as the most dominant and popular species. Although brown in color, it grows up to about a meter long and weighs up to as much as 150 grams. However, it got its name from the green fat found inside its body. It eats fish to a limited extent but seem to prefer shellfish and seaweeds.
The Hawksbill turtle is the most beautiful of all marine turtles. Its color varies from brown to yellow-brown, with the bottom shell in shades of yellow or white. It grows a little less than a meter in length and weighs over 50 grams. It thrives on crabs, shrimps, and mollusks.
The Leatherback turtle is the largest of all species. It may grow up to more than 2.5 meters and weighs as much as 800 kilograms. Its leathery back gave it its name. Some fishermen consider the appearance of this turtle as bad omen. It feeds primarily on jellyfish.
The Olive Ridley turtle or so-called “lambanagan” can be distinguished from the other species by five or more scales on its back. It has a distinct olive-brown color.
The Loggerhead turtle is hunted for its oil. Its top shell is elongated and is reddish brown in color. It lives exclusively on fish.
Marine turtles are known to occupy a wide range of habitats. In the Philippines, they can be found in the following places: Camiguin Island, Sitankai Island of the Sibutu group; Sicam, Kalayaan and Ursula islands off Palawan; Nauban, Quezon; Lubang Island off Mindoro Occidental; San Miguel Islands in Sulu; and Turtle Island in Sulu.
Marine turtles are also reported to be thriving in Mati City, Davao Oriental; Kopiat Island in Mabini, Compostela Valley; and Maitum, Sarangani.
“Males and females mate in the water,” noted Techno Dispatch. “The females then go to shore to lay her eggs. Females periodically nest on cycles of two, three and four years. In a nesting season, a female nests several times in intervals of about two weeks.”
High production months are from May to September, August being the peak month with female turtles laying from 50 to 170 eggs per nest. The incubation period is from 3-4 months, after which the hatchlings make their way from the nest to the sea water.
According to some experts, only one out of every 100 hatchlings survive to become an adult. “The odds are certainly against any individual marine turtle,” penned one environmental scribe. “Yet the species amazingly have survived. They have surmounted the moving and shaping of the continents and the great climatic changes that happened during the past 900,000 centuries.”
This author has never tried eating marine turtle meat. But some who did said it is very tasty, particularly the green sea turtle meat. Anne and Jack Rudloe, writing for National Geographic, disclosed: “The green sea turtle’s meat is the most delicious of any sea turtles because it is a vegetarian, grazing pastures of seagrasses and algae to grow to an average of 300 pounds.”
If the meat is delicious, more so are the eggs — which Asians, particularly the Chinese, consider an aphrodisiac. The eggs, which look like ping-pong balls, are also prized as an energizing protein.
But marine scientists dispel this myth. They say pawikan eggs are just like chicken eggs. “I myself did not find the turtle eggs appetizing at all when I finally did eat once during the lunch on a visit to Langaan,” wrote Jonas H. Liwag in an article published in Mabuhay, the inflight magazine of Philippine Air Lines. “It tasted like boiled chicken egg yolk with sand grits thrown in.”
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