Quynh Luu: Fishermen caught a 70 kg sea turtle

(Baonghean) -On January 3, while fishing at sea, Mr. Le Tien Lieu (in Quyet Tien village, Quynh Phuong, Quynh Luu, Nghe An) caught a rare turtle weighing 70kg, about 1.1m long and 0.70m wide. Mr. Lieu then brought it home to raise and offered to sell the turtle for 40 million VND.

Mr. Nguyen Chi Luong, Head of the Department of Aquatic Resources Protection of Nghe An province, went to Quynh Phuong commune to persuade Mr. Lieu to hand over the turtle (a rare marine animal listed in the Vietnam Red Book) to release it back into the sea. However, Mr. Lieu refused to hand over the turtle.

The turtle caught by Mr. Le Tien Lieu (in Quyet Tien village, Quynh Phuong, Quynh Luu district, Nghe An) from Nghe An sea is being sold, but has not been released back into the sea.

Mr. Nguyen Chi Luong said: “The turtle is a rare marine animal and is listed in the Vietnam Red Book and needs to be protected. According to the CITES convention, the turtle is an endangered species in the list of species threatened with extinction, and fishing and all acts of buying, selling and transporting are strictly prohibited. We have explained and persuaded, but Mr. Lieu refused to hand over the turtle. Currently, the Department is assigning the People's Committee of Quynh Phuong Commune and the People's Committee of Quynh Luu District and Mr. Lieu's family to preserve and not move the turtle for further processing.”

Nam Xuan