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rotected green turtles are being illegally hunted and freely traded by fishermen in Perokonda, Kodi district, Southwest Sumba regency, Sumba Island, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) for consumption, a researcher says.

Marthin Angga, a member of the 2015 Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia Expedition Team, said researchers had found empty turtle carapaces on Perokonda Beach.

'€œDuring turtle season [April-September], local people can catch between 10 and 30 turtles a day. Some are for their own consumption; others, including the eggs, are for sale,'€ Marthin told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He said fishermen often unintentionally caught turtles in their nets when they went to the beach to lay eggs.

'€œOther fishermen specifically hunt for turtles,'€ he added.

Fishermen, according to Marthin, sell turtle meat for between Rp 500,000 (US$38) and Rp 1,000,000 per kilogram, while turtle eggs sell for Rp 5,000 each.

He added that some people in Perokonda had acknowledged that turtles were protected. However, no stern legal action had been taken against violators.

Besides Perokonda Beach, Marthin said researchers had also discovered that people caught the green turtle on Ratenggaro Beach in Umbungedo subdistrict, Kodi Bangedo district.

The white-sanded beach, which is also rich in thatch screwpine and Hibiscus tiliaceus, Marthin said, was a popular habitat of turtles, especially green turtles.

Martin hoped that people would help with the preservation of the turtles by not buying turtle eggs, turtle meat or souvenirs made from turtle shell.

'€œTurtle reproduction is slow and their regeneration is incomparable to the threats they face, such as commercial exploitation and habitat destruction,'€ Marthin said.

The green turtle, according to Marthin, had long been under threat because of natural factors and human activities.

'€œThe reproductive ages of the turtles are 17 to 40 years, with a success ratio of 1:1,000,'€ Marthin said.

Marthin said that all species of turtles in Indonesia were protected under Government Regulation No. 7/1999 on flora and fauna preservation.

Turtles are also protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

'€œCITES is an agreement among a number of countries aimed at protecting wild flora and fauna from illegal trade that could endanger their preservation,'€ Marthin said.

Indonesia has several conservation areas for sea turtles, such as Banyak Island in Aceh, Derawan Island in East Kalimantan, the Kei islands in Maluku and Serangan Island. However, the number of turtles continues to plummet.

Separately, NTT Fishery and Marine Agency head Abraham Maulaka said he did not know about the illegal hunting and trade of green turtles on Sumba Island.

'€œWe will ask Southwest Sumba Fishery and Marine Agency to take stern action by coordinating with relevant parties to stop the illegal practices,'€ Abraham said.

He added that fishermen in some regions were aware that green turtles were protected and usually released them when unintentionally caught.

'€œWe will take note of this and continue increasing people'€™s awareness to protect the animals,'€ he said, adding that many beaches in NTT were places where turtles laid their eggs.