5 female green sea turtles rescued from fish corrals in Aurora

OLONGAPO CITY — Five female green sea turtles were accidentally caught in fish corrals and were rescued, tagged, and released into Casiguran Bay in Aurora Province after local fisherfolk reported the incidents to environmental authorities, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said on Monday.

The turtles were found along the coasts of Barangays Dibet, Ditinagyan and Calabgan, prompting the DENR’s Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Casiguran, the municipal environment office and the Philippine Coast Guard to conduct rescue operations.

They said the rescued animals were green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with their populations threatened by habitat loss, accidental capture in fishing gear, pollution, and other human activities.

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READ: Green sea turtle rescued, released in Isabela’s Dinapigue town

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Ariel Mendoza, head of the CENRO in Casiguran, said the turtles were in good physical condition and had no visible injuries before their release.

“This year, we recorded the two largest marine turtles caught in Baklad. One measured 78 centimeters in curved carapace length (CCL) and 72.4 centimeters in curved carapace width (CCW), while the other measured 76 centimeters in CCL and 69.8 centimeters in CCW,” Mendoza said.

The three other turtles measured 46 cm, 44 cm and 43.3 cm in curved carapace length, with corresponding widths of 41.7 cm, 41 cm and 42.5 cm, respectively.

The DENR’s Coastal and Marine Management Unit in Casiguran led the rescue, tagging, and release of the five turtles in accordance with wildlife protocols./coa