Text and photos by Henrylito D. Tacio
A couple of years back, marine turtles caught the attention of authorities when reports reached them that some roadside restaurants in Cebu had been serving dishes made from the endangered species to their customers.
In his report, VERA Files’ Nestor B. Ramirez wrote: “Business is brisk, judging from the throng of people and cars parked outside this makeshift eatery in Pasil, a shoreline barangay. The customers, some in long sleeves and tie, do not mind the heat and the dishevelled slum area. They are here for one reason: To eat their favorite stewed dish of pawikan.”
Upon learning of the report, the government formed a special task force with eight members to go after restaurants selling the meat of protected marine turtles, locally known as pawikan. “The task force is created to pursue and initiate an aggressive protection and conservation movement of the endangered marine turtles which are now on the verge of total depletion,” explained regional environment chief Maximo Dichoso.
Government authorities are helpless in stopping the trade. In the past, traders were easily caught because they are selling the endangered species alive. But they have wised up and sell pawikan meat already butchered. As such, authorities have a hard time telling if the meat is that of a pawikan or not.
The eateries, which serve the pawikan dishes, are made of temporary structures which are easily dismantled, allowing them to elude authorities.
“The vendors themselves know they are violating the law,” wrote Ramirez, quoting Basilisa Piaquinto, an official of one of the line agencies of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, “but the demand for pawikan meat has kept the trade going.”
Of the eight species of marine turtles known to man, five of them can be found in the Philippines. These are the Green Sea (known in the science world as Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricate), Loggerhead (Caretta caretta), Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), and Leatherback (Dermocheyls coriacea).
The three others are the Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempi), Flatback (Chelonia depressa), and Black Sea (Chelonia agassizi).
Unfortunately, all eight species are listed under the Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which means the trade of these species and subspecies is strictly “prohibited except for educational, scientific or research and study purposes.”
The Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has also classified the eight species as endangered. This is so because “their populations are in danger of extinction and whose survival is unlikely if the causal factors continue to operate.”
Since 2001, hunting, sale and killing of marine turtles have been banned in the Philippines. The Wildlife Conservation Act, or Republic Act No. 9147, penalizes violators with a fine of up to P100,000 and one year in jail.
Despite sincere efforts by the government and environmentalists to save marine turtles from extinction, the decimation of the endangered species continues unabated.
The main primary reason for the decline of marine turtle population is catching the reptiles alive. They are valued for their precious shells. “It was beauty that all but killed the Hawksbill turtle,” wrote one journalist. “Polished and carved, the black-and-yellow plates on its back were long sought for tortoise-shell jewellery and combs.”
The gathering of pawikan eggs, which are considered by Chinese as aphrodisiac, has contributed to the rapid disappearance of marine turtles. The eggs, which look like ping-pong balls, are also prize as energizing protein. But marine scientists dispel the myth. They said pawikan eggs are just like chicken eggs and nothing more.
These days, gathering pawikan eggs is already unlawful with the passage of the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act in 2001.
Pollution has been cited as another prime factor why pawikan are on the verge of extinction. Included in the millions of tons of garbage dumped annually into the sea are plastic materials which marine turtles mistake for jellyfish, squid, or some other food. Once digested, plastic wastes can block the turtle’s digestive tracts, causing starvation and ultimately death.
The rapid development of beach resorts for the tourism industry has destroyed the nesting beaches of marine turtles. Marine turtles spend most of their life in the sea and get all the things they need there. They even mate in the sea. But when the time comes to lay their eggs, the females return to shore, usually in the same place where they were hatched.
“If you imagine a first time nester approaching its place of birth, how much do you think of its birth place or nesting beach remains over the last 35-50 years?” asked Dr. Arnel “AA” Yaptinchay, founder and director of the Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines. “I would guess there would be very little space left for it to nest and enough disturbance developed to shoo it away. We are preventing them from fulfilling their life purpose. For me this is very tragic.”
In some instances, some tourism facilities view marine turtles as attractions. “This is fine if you view marine turtles from a distance, but most (beach owners) are greedy and would take a turtle and put it in a tank for secured viewing for their guests,” Dr. Yaptinchay said.
But what he considered as worrisome is when beach owners would tie the turtle to a tree. “This has happened and is still happening,” deplored Dr. Yaptinchay.
Those resorts located in islands sometimes think they are helping marine turtles by keeping hatchlings in containers and allow them to grow for a few months before releasing them into the open sea.
“What they do not realize is that they have just disrupted the whole life cycle of the turtles,” Dr. Yaptinchay said. “Hatchlings are supposed to be in open pelagic waters for the first decade of their lives. Again an important phase in their lives is affected.”
There are several other reasons why marine turtles are fast disappearing from the Philippine waters. In an article published in Business Mirror, Jonathan L. Mayuga cited these culprits: natural predation, climate-change effects (such as sea level rise, storm surge and extreme heat), and illegal and destructive fishing methods (use of dynamite and cyanide or being trapped in fish nets).
“Unless we, Filipinos, seriously take on the task of protecting the much endangered marine turtles, these ancient creatures will soon be gone (from our waters),” Haribon, a local environmental group, warns in a statement. (To be concluded)
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