Sea turtles safe as island city puts marine protection high on agenda
Print Edition
HUANG Hongbo and his colleagues have patrolled the islets and reefs of the Qilianyu Islands in the South China Sea every day for the past four years to protect sea turtles and their eggs.
“If we see eggs on the beach, we usually set up a sign to alert local fishermen to be careful and not to harm them,” said Huang, 64, head of the turtle protection station of Beidao, part of the Qilianyu Islands.
Huang, a veteran fisherman and sea turtle expert, was invited to head the protection station after the establishment of Sansha City, which celebrated its fourth birthday last Sunday.
Marine environment protection is high on the Sansha government’s agenda, said Mayor Xiao Jie.
During the past four years, 469 million yuan (US$70.5 million) has been poured into environmental protection, said Shi Guoning, head of the city’s land resources and environmental protection bureau.
Huang said the city had cracked down on the capture and trade of sea turtles and their eggs and banned activities that could affect their growth and reproduction.
Last June, two Chinese fishermen were fined and given suspended prison terms for trading endangered sea turtles by the Sansha Islands Court.
The culprits, captain and chief engineer of a ship, obtained 24 sea turtles from Filipino fishermen in October 2014 in exchange for rice, cooking oil and biscuits. The Chinese coast guard later released 22 of the turtles back to the sea, but the other two died.
Strict law enforcement has deterred poaching, Huang said. “Now fishermen know there are consequences to catching turtles. When they find eggs, they call us to help.”
If the eggs are laid too close to the sea, or during adverse weather, such as typhoons, hatching on the beach is impossible, so staff from the protection station bring the eggs back and release the baby turtles into the sea, Huang said.
Huang said local fishermen have also learned to protect fishery resources. On Beidao, fishermen have agreed to release small fish and have set standards for the release of different fish species.
Chinese fishermen have followed a seasonal fishing ban in the South China Sea for 18 years. From May 16 to August 1 every year, no fishing is allowed in parts of the sea under China’s jurisdiction, except with single-layer gill nets and conventional angling.
“To be honest, the fishing ban period is quite tough for us. But we know it’s for the sake of better harvests in the future,” said fisherman Fu Xiaoming.
Improved infrastructure has helped minimize the islanders’ impact on the environment.
The government has planted trees on barren sands to improve living conditions and shield the coastline from erosion by wind and waves. Last year, the Sansha government planted more than 300,000 trees and 500,000 are planned for this year.
“Years ago, we slept with the wind roaring every night. But now, coconut trees protect us. Only islanders understand how precious the trees are,” said resident Fu Minggang.
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