Sea turtle eggs sold at Terengganu market may be from neighbouring states

R.S.N. Murali and Zabidi Tusin The Star 16 Aug 10;

KUALA TERENGGANU: The state government has directed the Fisheries Department to check whether turtle eggs sold at the Pasar Payang central market here were harvested by licensed turtle egg collectors.

“We believe the eggs sold here come from neighbouring states or have been rejected but we still want to get to the bottom of this,” State Secretary Datuk Mazlan Ngah said.

Mazlan, who is also chairman of the Terengganu Turtle Sanctuary Advisory Board, said licensed turtle eggs collectors preferred to sell to the department as they are paid more for each egg compared to the market price.

Last year, the state announced a new price list that ranges from RM5 for a leatherback turtle egg to RM4 for other species.

The state has sanctioned 35 licensed collectors who have been allocated specific areas to collect the eggs and sell to the department.

Mazlan believes the eggs sold at the market were harvested by poachers or imported but labelled as local so they could be sold easily.

“It’s hard for us to totally ban the sale of eggs here as neighbouring states allow the trading of turtle eggs,’’ he said.

Mazlan was commenting on a report in The Star that traders at the central market are openly selling endangered turtle eggs.

Under the law, only licensed collectors are allowed to harvest the eggs which must be sold to the Fisheries Department. The eggs are placed in incubators to be hatched.

There is a huge demand for turtle eggs as they are believed to increase the sexual prowess of the elderly and are also consumed to treat asthma and backaches.

Previously, traders sold eggs supplied from Sabah and Indonesia but there is great demand for Terengganu eggs.

This is because locally-laid eggs are fresher.