Sea turtle eggs found as nesting season starts

 SAN JUAN, La Union, Philippines  – Marine conservationists have secured a nest with 114 eggs of an olive ridley sea turtle found along the shore of this town at dawn on Tuesday.

It was the first nest of the olive ridley sea turtle to be found as nesting season starts.

The eggs were found buried in the sand by a local pawikan patroller in Barangay Ili Sur.

The fisherman was returning home from a fishing expedition when he stumbled upon the turtle’s nest.

From the nest, turtle hatchlings are expected to emerge on Dec. 13, according to the marine conservation group Coastal Underwater Resource Management Actions.

CURMA has been working with local partners and villagers to protect nesting turtles and their hatchlings.

As more turtles are expected to flock to La Union’s shores in the coming months, conservation advocates are urging beachgoers to keep the coastline clean, quiet and dark at night.

Artificial lights, noise and human activities can disrupt nesting turtles and threaten hatchlings making their way to the sea, CURMA executive director Carlos Tamayo said.

Visitors have been advised to keep motorized vehicles and bonfires off nesting beaches and remove beach furniture that can obstruct hatchlings. 

Anyone who spots a nesting turtle must maintain a safe distance from the area and report the sighting to CURMA, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, local government units or the police.

CURMA is coordinating with local government units across La Union as well as concerned agencies and the private sector in safeguarding turtle nesting sites.  

The International Union for Conservation classifies the olive ridley sea turtle or Lepidochelys oliacea as a vulnerable species.

In La Union, the sea turtle’s nesting season is usually from October to March.

Since 2010, CURMA has helped release thousands of olive ridley hatchings into the sea.