poachers nabbed in palawan (again!)

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jigo

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i dont know which is worse finning sharks or stuffing turtles for ornaments!!!

Nine Chinese poachers nabbed in Palawan

By Redempto Anda
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 16:32:00 05/29/2010

Filed Under: Crime

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines—Nine still unidentified Chinese nationals have been placed under the custody of the Philippine Coast Guard after they were caught poaching marine turtles inside Philippine waters last Thursday off Balabac Island in the southernmost tip of Palawan.

The Chinese, none of whom spoke English, arrived at the port of Puerto Princesa City from Balabac aboard their wooden fishing boat Saturday morning, escorted by the Bureau of Fisheries patrol craft MCS 3002 manned by Philippine Coast Guard personnel.

An initial inventory conducted Saturday by an inter-agency task force on the Chinese fishing vessel indicated that the fishing boat was engaged in the collection of marine turtles for ornamental purposes.

"There were bales of nets and cotton-like material that are used to stuff marine turtles, and chemicals such as formalin stored in the compartments of the fishing vessel," lawyer Adel B. Villena of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) told the Inquirer.

Authorities believe that many of the marine turtles that were caught by the Chinese crew were thrown overboard during a pursuit on the high seas that lasted over half an hour some 45 nautical miles northwest of Balabac island at around 5 a.m. Thursday.

"The Coast Guard personnel manning MCS 3002 skippered by Navy Captain Angel Lobaton said they observed the Chinese fishing crew frantically throwing overboard the turtles while they were being pursued by the Coast Guard," Villena said.

At least two stuffed marine turtles have been recovered so far by the government task force in an ongoing inventory of the vessel, Villena said, adding that they have also documented evidence of butchered turtle meat on board the fishing vessel.

"From the evidence we have seen so far, it really looked like this fishing vessel was engaged mainly in capturing marine turtles and stuffing them for ornamental purposes," Villena said.

Villena said they were coordinating with other government agencies to facilitate the filing of illegal entry, poaching and other charges against the Chinese.

Local authorities added that they were securing government assistance to translate documents in Chinese that were recovered and to interview the crew of the vessel.

The capture of the Chinese came in the wake of the release in April this year of another Chinese vessel, the Hoi Wan, which was held for nearly four years in Palawan on charges of poaching inside the Tubbataha national marine park.

Environmental activitists have accused the national government of bowing to Chinese diplomatic pressure by dismizssing the charges faced by the 30-man crew of the Hoi Wan.
 
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I wish there was a simple solution to the problem.

My solution would be condisered just a bit radical so I won't mention it.

I will compliment the Philippine Coast Guard for their apprehension and transporting of these poachers as they are frequently the target of bribery accusations for apprehending and releasing poachers.
 
sadly nothing will happen and they eventually will be released. (the poachers). same as whale shark slaughter in Anilao. nothing happened
 
sadly nothing will happen and they eventually will be released. (the poachers). same as whale shark slaughter in Anilao. nothing happened
Why the Philippine's Gov forever "kowtow" to Communist Chinese is beyond me.
This has been going on for far too long.
Do you think the new government has any gut to do anything differently?
Clean the boat and sink it in around 50m of water.
 

I will compliment the Philippine Coast Guard for their apprehension and transporting of these poachers as they are frequently the target of bribery accusations for apprehending and releasing poachers.

Aye!

For all the flack that they get, I hope they don't get disheartened in capturing these bastards.
 
Why the Philippine's Gov forever "kowtow" to Communist Chinese is beyond me.
This has been going on for far too long.
Do you think the new government has any gut to do anything differently?
Clean the boat and sink it in around 50m of water.

I think this is a serious problem with no easy solution. In 2008 it was the Vietnamese who were caught poaching the turtles. I also believe for every poacher which is apprehended many more get away undetected. However, I would not classify the Philippine Governments actions as "kowtowing", and their reactions are no different than many other countries when dealing with the PRC on many many issues. Would you suggest they cut some trade relations with the PRC? I think that would negatively effect the RP worse than the PRC. The Chinese act with impunity on many fronts, and I believe that it is mostly because everyone wants a peice of the Chinese Market...

Maybe the only solution at this time is for aggressive NGO's to patrol and intervene, since many of them seem to be better funded than many developing nations Coast Guards or Navies.


Wildlife Extra News - 101 critically endangered hawksbill turtles found dead on Vietnamese fishing boat
 
Hmm, formalin. Sounds to me like this is just a "scientific research vessel" out to kill turtles to assess their population status and "conserve" them. Yeah, right.
 
Sounds like they need to stop apprehending them and just start sinking them in place. Then they can rescue the crew and return them to China if China really wants them back.
 
Well, I go after the purchaser of such stuff.

I see coral in someone's home, I go nuts.
I see turtle shells in someone's home, I go nuts.
Sharkfin soup? Yup, that's a yelling.

Maybe there is a good reason for their owning it, but I only hear it after I make my points.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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