7 Chinese poachers arrested off El Nido, Palawan

GMANewsTV 15 Apr 09;

MANILA, Philippines — Maritime authorities have arrested seven Chinese nationals for poaching on Philippine waters off Palawan, an environmentalist group said on Wednesday.

The intruders were caught red-handed while poaching endangered green sea turtles off the coast of Cadlao Isle in northern Palawan. by the Joint Task Force Malampaya (JTFM) and composite Municipal Environment Desk Officer (MEDO), said RJ de la Calzada, a project manager of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

De la Calzada said that when the JTFM and MEDO team, acting on a tip, approached an unidentified speedboat fishing right inside El Nido’s municipal waters, the suspects fled. But after brief chase, they were cornered near Cawayan Island at around 9:30pm on April 7.

“Thirteen dead green sea turtles greeted the composite team. A live turtle was found struggling amid the fishers' nets. It was quickly tagged and released by the staff of the El Nido - Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area Office (ENTMR-PAO)," de la Calzada said in a statement.

Fishing paraphernalia, including a five-kilometer long net, were also found aboard the unmarked craft, he added.

De la Calzada said that foreign turtle poachers are no strangers to El Nido's rich waters, dubbed as the “Poacher's Paradise" for the frequency of foreign intrusions.

Despite constant vigilance from local government and military units plus the support of WWF, poachers continue to hunt for sea turtles - the shells of which are used for tortoiseshell - a material used as far back as the ancient Greek and Roman eras to fashion jewelry, combs and brushes.

The poachers will be charged for violating the Philippine Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act (RA9147), penalties for which can incur a fine of up to one million pesos, coupled with a six-year jail term, De la Calzada said.

They may also be charged with illegal incursion and breaking the Fisheries Code of 1998 (RA8550).

“These are but the latest in a long line of poachers who encroach upon Philippine waters to plunder our nation's dwindling marine resources. Each turtle killed is a fast-forward button towards extinction. We have to raise the stakes and be more serious in persecuting offenders if we are to stamp out this trade," he said.

Last August, 101 dead hawksbill turtles were recovered from Vietnamese fishing vessel Q.ng 91234-TS five nautical miles east of Cabaluan Isle, El Nido.

On 6 July 2008, four Vietnamese aboard vessel Q.ng 95986 were arrested for alleged poaching off Guntao Isle, El Nido. Four other fishing boats, believed to be Vietnamese, escaped.

On 13 April 2008, a 23-man Vietnamese poaching detail aboard the Quang Mei was arrested in Balabac, southern Palawan. Retrieved from the craft were assorted fish and a sea turtle.

“Such blatant intrusions do much to undermine the strong enforcement efforts initiated by the local government," said El Nido Mayor Leonor Corral.

“For years we have invested in the protection of Palawan’s rich marine resources. The source of food and livelihood for thousands of our people," he added.

Meanwhile, JTFM Commander Esteban Castro expressed further support for the protection of northern Palawan's marine sanctuaries and to stop “loathsome and illegal acts only abuse the country's natural wealth."

The bodies of the 13 green sea turtles are now bound for an El Nido burial lot - where the remains of 101 hawksbill turtles were also buried. - GMANews.TV