Guest guest Posted April 16, 2004 Report Share Posted April 16, 2004 ***************************Advertisement*************************** TechCentral http://star-techcentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/4/16/nation/7775661 & sec=nation ________________________ Friday April 16, 2004 Turtle eggs fail to hatch By HILARY CHIEW PETALING JAYA: None of the 14 clutches of leatherback eggs incubated last year at Rantau Abang, Terengganu, has hatched & #150; which means that the critically-endangered species of marine turtle is edging closer to the brink of extinction. The Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre (Tumec) chief Kamarruddin Ibrahim said: & #147;It looks like the imbalance sex ratio among hatchlings produced from the hatchery since the early 1980s is causing the situation we have now. & #147;Those hatchlings that had matured into adult female turtles are laying eggs that are not fertilised as there is no mating occurrence in the wild, & #148; he said, adding that analysis of the nesting records showed that the eggs were deposited by five different turtles. Tumec is an agency under the Fisheries Department. Kamarruddin said that unlike the three nests in 2002 that were poached, the centre managed to secure all the nests deposited last year and put them in the hatchery. He added that no hatchlings emerged after the 55-day incubation period. He admitted that the theory offered by some scientists that the Rantau Abang leatherback population had evolved into a female-biased one was strengthening, marking the inevitable demise of the species. Scientists had predicted that the leatherback turtle, once a tourist magnet for the state, would slip into extinction in the first decade of this millennium as indicated by the decline in nesting and further compounded by the sex-ratio imbalance among turtles that had reached breeding age. Worldwide, experts had also warned that the similar fate would befall the other populations of the biggest marine turtle that had outlived the dinosaurs. However, Tumec, which is requesting for more allocation from the state government is determined to continue with its leatherback programme. Kamarruddin also noted that enforcement against the use of destructive fishing gears needed to be beefed up to protect nesting turtles in the water. Six turtles carcasses, believed to have drowned in fishing nets, washed up on the beaches of Kuantan over the past 10 days. <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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