T

he West Sumatra administration aims to eradicate the trade of endangered turtle eggs in the province by 2020.

Turtle egg sales have been carried out openly for years in the province, especially at Padang Beach in Padang city, where a high volume of turtle eggs are sold.

West Sumatra Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office head Yosmeri said his office had formed the Turtle Conservation Coordinating Forum (FKPP), made up of a number of government agencies, with management appointed by the governor in March this year.

The FKPP consists of the provincial and municipal Maritime Affairs and Fisheries offices, Natural Resources Conservation Center, Public Order Police units, Padang Prosecutor'€™s Office, West Sumatra Police Special Crimes Directorate and the Bung Hatta University Turtle Information and Research Center. The forum'€™s duties include law enforcement, seeking out alternative solutions and public campaigning.

'€œThis is part preparatory measures by the governor due to the repeated negligence in the trade of turtle eggs, which is protected by law,'€ Yosmeri told The Jakarta Post on recently.

Turtle egg sales are a source of income for a number of people, as eggs are supplied by traditional communities on several islands.

'€œWe will develop turtle conservation areas and buy the eggs from sellers to be hatched,'€ said Yosmeri.

From a legal aspect, he added, raids would be conducted sporadically, but they would not have a deterrent effect because only sellers would be caught, not the suppliers.

Three turtle egg sellers have been found guilty of violating Law No. 5/1990 on conservation; two of them two years ago, and another this year, each were sentenced to six months probation.

Among the sea turtles found in West Sumatra are green turtles, Hawksbill sea turtles, Olive ridley sea turtles, Loggerhead sea turtles and Flatback sea turtles. All of them are listed in Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international agreement between governments.

It is estimated that there are around 15,000 sea turtles in the province'€™s waters, however only around 2,000 of them can lay eggs. The province recorded at least 32 turtle landing spots on the mainland beaches and islands.

Padang'€™s Bung Hatta University Turtle Information and Data Center head Harfiandri Damanhuri said the biggest trade of turtle eggs, or locally known as talua katuang, was found in Padang city at Padang Beach, where sellers were able to sell an average of 77.8 eggs daily. Ironically, turtle eggs were included in the Padang Tourism Office culinary excursion brochure for several years until 2013.

'€œAfter the forum was formed and raids were conducted in January this year, none of the sellers dared to sell turtle eggs anymore. But due to the absence of raids in February, one or two sellers reappeared. We recorded nine stalls selling turtle eggs as of April 8, each of them selling 12 bags of eggs, each filled with 20 eggs. I believe some of them also hid the eggs. Law enforcers also pity them and were reluctant to take action against them as they were just petty traders,'€ said Harfiandri.

The most important measures carried out by the government and the FKPP, added Harfiandri, was increasing the number of conservation areas, turtle breeding locations as well as hatching and releasing hatchlings into the sea. Pariaman city has carried out such measures, leading to the disappearance of turtle egg sellers on Pariaman Beach.

'€œIf all locations where eggs are obtained are turned into conservation areas and land owners could earn money from entrance fees being imposed on visitors, every turtle seller would disappear,'€ said Harfiandri.