(MY hatching leatherbacks

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Sunday April 2, 2006 - The Star

 

Hatching a leatherback plan

 

BY K. SUTHAKAR

 

KEMAMAN: There is still a glimmer of hope for the leatherback turtles,

which are close to disappearing from the beaches of Terengganu.

 

For the first time, the authorities are planning to buy leatherback

eggs from a neighbouring country and incubating them here.

 

Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre (Tumec) head Kamaruddin Ibrahim

said the proposal had been put forth by several quarters.

 

" I think it is a good idea since people consume the eggs in some countries.

 

" We can buy the eggs probably through a government-to-government

arrangement, " he said after attending a clean-up campaign at the

Ma'Daerah Turtle Sanctuary beach in Kerteh yesterday.

 

" By releasing the hatchlings here, we hope the turtles would come back

to nest in Terengganu, " he said.

 

Kamaruddin said the last batch of leatherback hatchlings released into

the sea was in 2000 involving 115 hatchlings incubated from 1,809 eggs

(from 29 nests).

 

He said 21 nests were detected in 2001. A year later it was three, in

2003 (14), 2004 (five) and just one last year.

 

In comparison, 10,000 nests were found in the 1960s and 800 nests as

recently as 1984.

 

" All the 3,294 eggs collected in 2001 failed to hatch because they

were not fertilised by the male turtles, probably due to fewer males

in the sea, " he said.

 

Kamaruddin urged local researchers, especially experts in reproductive

biology, to contribute their ideas on how to increase the population

of leatherbacks.

 

He said the temperature of the eggs during incubation determined the

gender of the hatchlings.

 

About 400 people including children took part in the five-hour

clean-up in preparation for the turtle nesting season from this month

to October.

 

Among them were the staff of petrochemical industries in Kerteh,

National Service trainees, personnel from the Fire and Rescue

department and schoolchildren.