TACLOBAN CITY –– Two green sea turtles were released back to their habitat after they got entangled in a fish net owned by a fisherman here.
Fisherman Florencio Amarilla, 63, found the two female turtles inside his fishnet while he was in the waters off Barangay San Jose, Tacloban City on March 29.
He informed the Philippine Coast Guard about it before the turtles were turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Eastern Visayas (DENR-8) last March 30.
DENR officials subsequently released the two turtles, considered endangered species, at the Cancabato Bay in this city.
“The turnover of the two juvenile green sea turtles by a responsible fisherman to the proper authorities is a beacon of hope in these trying times,” said DENR executive director Tirso Parian Jr., in a statement.
One of the green sea turtles had a tag, which means that it was previously captured, and was released to Cancabato Bay last September 8, 2019.
The sea turtle’s curved carapace length spanned 17 inches and 15 inches in width.
The other turtle, which measures 17 inches in length and 16 inches in width, was untagged. The DENR gave her a 1727M identification number.
Green sea turtles have an average life span of up to 80 years and can grow to 5 feet and weigh up to more than 300 kilos.