It was reported last week on a Vietnamese news website (vnexpress.net) that local police in Quang Ngai province intercepted a suspicious car on the way to Binh Dinh province and exposed 94 frozen sea turtles weighing more than one ton.
The sea turtles were bought from Quang Ngai fishermen and transported to Binh Dinh province to sale at the alleged price of 7-12 million VND (350-600 USD) per turtle. All the goods were confiscated for further investigation.
According to Dr. Chu The Cuong from the Institute of Marine Environment and Resources (IMER), sea turtles in Vietnamese waters have experienced a dramatic decline; green sea turtles have decreased by 75%, hawksbill and olive ridley sea turtles have decreased by 95% and leatherback sea turtles by 99%. It is urgent that authorities reduce and prevent sea turtle trade before these already threatened animals go extinct.
Photo courtesy of vnexpress.net
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