OPERATIVES of the Naval Forces West and the local government of Palawan province have foiled an attempt by poachers to sell or smuggle out of the country over a hundred pieces of sea turtles, more popularly known as pawikan.

Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay, Navy spokesman on Friday said that the inter-agency team recovered a total of 123 sea turtles inside three cages made of mangrove branches submerged in waters off the coast of Sitio Dunglog, Barangay Caguisan, Balabac on November 27.

However, Tonsay added that all six unidentified suspects were able to escape on two small fast boats that sped off to different directions when they saw the approaching Navy team.

Of the 123 turtles, he said that six were already dead when the cages were pulled out of the waters.

The 117 recovered live turtles, weighing approximately 50 kilos to 60 kilos each, were released at the Roughton Island, a sanctuary for maritime species under the supervision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Balabac Agricultural Office.

Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001, prohibits the collection of sea turtles or any of its derivatives, including their eggs.

Other major threats to sea turtles are large-scale illegal harvest of eggs and collection for ornamental trade, coastal development and illegal fisheries practices.

The Palawan area stretching all the way to Sulu Sea are the favorite hunting ground of poachers, mostly foreign fishermen.

There are five species of marine turtles found in the Philippines, namely: green, hawksbill, olive ridley, loggerhead and leatherback.