Marine turtle saved by fishermen

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan — Fishery personnel and local fishermen here have rescued an endangered sea creature and released it back to the sea early this week.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) here yesterday said that a nine-kilogram marine turtle was released back to the sea by a group of fishermen in the coastal town of Buguey.

Florentino Calicdan, of the BFAR shellfish farm in Buguey, said that a certain Celestino Rabut, a 28-year-old fisherman here, captured the turtle around 12:30 p.m. last June 15 while fishing in Buguey waters.

Before other fisherfolk could learn about it, Rabut went to the nearby BFAR satellite office in the town and reported his prize catch.

In turn, Calicdan and his staff took the sea turtle in its custody. The following day, the BFAR staff, along with Rabut and several villagers released the turtle to the sea with a tag on its tailbone.

BFAR assistant regional director Severina Bueno said the tag is a "manifestation that it was once caught but released back to its natural habitat."

"Tagging and releasing of captured endangered marine creatures are part of the agency’s measures to protect and monitor their movement in the open seas," she said.

The turtle, believed to be three years old, could have ended as an appetizer or pulutan of fishermen in the village.

The sea turtle, locally known as pawikan, is known to travel back to their place of origin to lay eggs. It is valued not only for food or appetizers but also for medicinal purposes. Others believe that its meat is an aphrodisiac.