A giant endangered pawikan was caught by fisherman Milanio Malinao in his fish cage in the coastal waters of Masao in the morning of June 4, 2009.
Forester Requerme Hebia, Chief of the Protected Areas & Wildlife of CENRO Butuan identified the pawikan belonging to the Loggerhead specie, measuring 104.1 cm in length and 86.4 cm in width.
Of the 7 known species of marine turtles in the world, 5 are found in the Philippines namely, the loggerhead, leatherback, olive ridley, hawksbill and green turtle.
“This is the 3rd time in 2009 that a pawikan was caught in the same area but the previous two are undocumented, and this is the largest so far”, said Forester Hebia.
Forester Hebia upon examination of the rescued giant Loggerhead pawikan showed that it has no injuries, no markings or tags on its flippers which are an indicator that it has not been caught before.
After the tagging on her right flipper, at exactly 11 o’clock in the morning, Forester Hebia, CENRO Staff, along with personnel from the City ENRO and several Masao residents, the loggerhead pawikan was released back to the sea.
Last year, 4 pawikans were found in Caraga identified as a Leatherback specie and was properly documented.
Interesting photos.
ReplyDelete