[Fwd: [Fwd: Fw: Slaughter of greenback turtles]]

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This story does have an Asian link

 

 

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Imire

hmotta

Friday, January 10, 2003 7:23 AM

Slaughter of greenback turtles

 

 

Dear Madam,

 

It is with great distress that I write this appealing letter for help &

hopefully exposure of the most appalling atrocities that are occurring

in the Mozambique coast - within the boundaries of the Bazaruto

Archipelago - the Marine Wildlife Sanctuary. Between the dates of the

2nd & 3rd January 2003, 42 greenback turtles were found dead along the

shore line between Inhassoro & Bartholomew Diaz, approximately 32 kms.

The tide was peak Spring Tide and the turtles were washed up on the

beach, 95 % of them were beheaded.

 

A few Kilometers off the shoreline lay a fishing trawler with a scoop

net attached. On the boat, goats, a donkey and dogs were seen. This

trawler is one of ten in this vicinity with a mother ship based beyond

the 25 km reef. Long liners stretching 25 kms with hooks every meter

attached to a steel cable have been observed. According to local

information, these vessels are of Chinese/Korean origin.

 

When approaching National Parks on Santa Carolina - they were very aware

of the situation and said it was due to a Government agreement. The

harvest from these vessels is taken to Beira where it is then shipped

out.

 

Please, please can someone look into this shocking and heart-wrenching

story. Speaking to the local, Indigenous people on the mainland, who

were of course happy to feast on the turtle corpses, they are also

concerned for their own welfare and feel their ocean is being raped of

its resources which they feel belong to them. Already they are finding

that their seasonal netting is bringing in smaller and fewer fish. They

asked if I could report this issue and get someone to respond as no-one

there seems to want to do anything.

 

I forward to your reply and I hope to be of any further assistance if I

can.

 

Judy Hamilton

 

Concerned for Turtle & Marine Welfare, Mozambique

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Morley

Conservation Ecology Research Unit

Dept. Zoology & Entomology

University of Pretoria

Pretoria 0002

South Africa

 

E-mail rcmorley

Tel +27 (0)12 4203231

Fax +27 (0)12 4204523

 

Cell +27 (0)72 4292347