Bernama 13 Nov 10;
DUNGUN, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- Some 200,000 baby turtles have been released into the sea so far this year, said Rantau Panjang's Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre head Syed Abdullah Syed Abdul Kadir.
He said the number was from 200 hatcheries in 18 places throughout Terengganu.
"Turtle landings this year also have been the highest in a decade.
"In Pantai Geliga, Kemaman for example, only between 300 and 600 nests were recorded annually from 2000 till 2009 but this year the number has risen drastically to 1,391," he said.
He told this to reporters after a ceremony which saw the releasing of 2,428 baby turtles at Rantau Abang beach here Saturday.
The event, which was officiated by Terengganu Infrastructure Development and Public Amenities Committee chairman and witnessed by schoolchildren and nearby residents, entered the Malaysia Book of Records for the most number of turtles released into the sea in one occasion.
-- BERNAMA
Record release of turtle hatchlings
New Straits Times 14 Nov 10;
DUNGUN: Although the odds are stacked against them, turtle conservation works will continue with new approaches to ensure the marine animal that is synonymous with Terengganu thrives.
Turtle and Marine Environment Centre (Tumec) here scored a new record yesterday as 2,428 turtle hatchlings and juveniles were released simultaneously in what was hailed as the biggest single release of turtles in the country.
Tumec chief Syed Abdullah Syed Abdul Kadir said the event was aimed at increasing turtle conservation awareness among the public especially the younger generation.
He said it was important for kids to understand the importance of turtle conservation as it would have to span decades before any result could be seen.
"According to scientific data, only one out of 1,000 hatchlings released will survive to adulthood. This would mean only 500 out of the 500,000 hatchlings released from our hatchery in the past 10 years will survive."
Syed Abdullah said more than two million hatchlings had been released from hatcheries in Terengganu in the last 10 years.
"The figures may be big but it is not much when we take into account the hatchlings' survival rate."
Syed Abdullah defended Tumec's move to release the hatchlings at 5.45pm, as some turtle conservation experts had pointed out that it could lead to a feeding frenzy by predators.
"All our releases in the last 10 years had been done between 7pm and 10pm, thus the predators around here would have been programmed to spring into action after dark," he said, adding that the slightly rough sea now had driven most predators away from the coast.
