Turtle decline worrying

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Environmentalists have expressed concern over the declining number of turtles around Serangan Island near Bali, as poachers continue to collect the animal's eggs which have a high commercial value.

In a conference on sea conservation here yesterday, Ketut Sarjana Putra of the World Wide Fund for Nature in Bali said that turtles around Serangan Island -- also known as Penyu Island -- were rare compared to a few years ago.

He pointed out that various developments on the island, including coastal land reclamation, had destroyed what was formerly prime turtle nesting sites.

Turtles have slow growth and high mortality rates. On average, only one turtle from every thousand eggs reaches maturity.

Putra said that illegal trading in the species over the past 10 years had accounted for the disappearance of about 15,000 turtles.