2 sea turtles released to Lingayen Gulf
TWO sea turtles, named Balong and WRR, were returned to the Lingayen Gulf on August 12, from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) center in Barangay Bonuan Binloc in Dagupan City.
BFAR Director Eduardo Gongona led the release of the female green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the female Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).
The green sea turtle was named WRR as a tribute to BFAR Dagupan Center Chief Westly Rosario who retired yesterday. The turtle was surrendered by San Fabian resident Juan Juguilon to the BFAR on May 8. Its carapace width is 29 centimeters (cms) and with a total length of 45 cms. It weighs 2.5 kilograms.
The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle was christened as Balong by BFAR employees as a thanksgiving to Mangatarem Mayor Ramil Ventenilla who surrendered it to the center on Jan. 29 last year. The mayor’s nickname is Balong. The turtle, weighed 32 kgs, with 59 cms carapace width and a total length of 85 cms, was found along the Agno River, about 20 kilometers away from the Lingayen Gulf.
Since 2010, the BFAR-National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center here has already released 10 sea turtles turned over to it by concerned citizens. Six died while undergoing treatment others and are buried at the BFAR Fish Cemetery.
Former BFAR Dagupan Center Chief Westly Rosario said the turtles have to be released to their natural habitat.
He said San Fabian has become a breeding ground for sea turtles as evidenced by sea turtles released in Alaminos City only to find them in San Fabian where they originally came from.
“It is their nature to return where they came from no matter how long has it been since they migrated to another place and how far they have reached,” he said.
One of the basic foods of sea turtles is jellyfish and they found out that some died due to plastic ingestion “possibly because the sea turtle might have mistaken the plastic for jellyfish”, Rosario said. (PhilStar Wire Service/ECV)
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