A leatherback sea turtle was discovered by a fisherman who was fishing near Pulau Lima in Pulau Redang. — Picture via Twitter/Bernama
KUALA TERENGGANU, June 26 — The discovery of a leatherback sea turtle in the waters off Pulau Redang three days ago is a positive indication that conservation programmes conducted in Terengganu are successful.
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) Oceanography and Environment Institute Research Laboratory head Dr Mohd Uzair Rusli said the turtle was discovered by a fisherman who was fishing near Pulau Lima in Pulau Redang.
“The fisherman, Raja Aizat Raja Abdullah informed me that the leatherback turtle surfaced briefly but its gender could not be identified as it seemed too wild to approach.
“In his shock and excitement, he did not to record any video or photo but based on his information about the turtle’s large size with a black and striped shell, it definitely is a leatherback turtle,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.
For the record, leatherback turtle landings have never been reported in Pulau Redang and they were last detected landing in Terengganu in 2017 at Rantau Abang, Dungun.
He said, however, eggs from two leatherback turtle nests failed to hatch because inspection by researchers indicated there were no semen to fertilise the eggs. The discovery also indicated that the number of male leatherback turtles were very critical.
Elaborating, he said the leatherback turtles were believed to be returning to Terengganu waters as they wanted to land on the beaches of Rantau Abang to lay eggs during the right season.
He hoped that the authorities would monitor fishermen seriously as there were concerns of fishing activities that did not conform to regulations that would result in leatherback turtle deaths.
“Once the turtle enters our country’s waters, it will remain here for two to three months to lay its eggs before going off, so monitoring during this critical period is very important.
“The same goes for the seven-kilometre stretch of beach in Rantau Abang, don’t let there be any disturbances that can disrupt the turtles’ landings,” he said. — Bernama