Group working to rid nets trapping turtles

DUNGUN: A conservation group is working with the state Fisheries Department to carry out enforcement against illegal nets trapping turtles off the Terengganu coast.

Lang Tengah Turtle Watch raised enough funds to cover petrol and personnel costs for a two-day operation from last Sunday, to help fishery officials target “hot areas” where such nets – known locally as pukat pari – were known to be strung up by fishermen.

During the operation, officials even managed to rescue a turtle trapped in one of the nets hauled in by two local fishermen.

The department later confirmed that six illegal nets – with mesh size of 25.4cm (10-inch) and above and a boat were seized from the fishermen, as well as three other nets found in the waters off Dungun.

It also said the fishermen were now being investigated for using the illegal nets.

The operation, targeting areas like Chendering, Marang, Merchang, Rantau Abang and Tanjung Jara along the coast, also found three turtle carcasses.

Nets with a mesh size of over 25.4cm are banned because they trap turtles as the animals swim around the shore during the nesting season.

Lang Tengah Turtle Watch founder Hayati Mokhtar, who helped initiate the operation, said they were pleased that the operation had yielded a positive result.

“We hope that in this way, not only did we create a greater awareness of the issue, we also raised more funds and cooperated with the authorities in mobilising future operations,” she said.

The state’s turtle programme, which includes enforcement against banned fishing nets, had seen its allocation slashed since January. It was reported before that the minimum cost for an operation could come up to over RM3,300 each time, inclusive of allowan­ces for enforcement officers.