BUTUAN CITY – Authorities arrested a 40-year-old fisherman who was caught slaughtering an endangered sea turtle in Barangay Poblacion, Bacuag in Surigao del Norte.
A team composed of local policemen and members of the Coastal Resource Management Coordinator nabbed Israel Jimenez, of Barangay Poblacion, Bacuag.
Police said the sea turtle has been declared one of the endangered marine species in the region where many local fishermen usually slaughtered sea turtles for food.
Jimenez is now detained at the Bacuag police jail pending the filing of charges by officials of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. – Ben Serrano