'Predator turtles thrive in Laguna Lake'

MANILA, Philippines - A fisherfolk group on Wednesday said predator turtles preying on milkfish and tilapia in Central Luzon have also invaded the 90,000 hectare Laguna Lake.

Pamalakaya vice chairperson Salvador France said the notorious Chinese softshell turtle  joined  other predator species--janitor fish and knife fish-- in plaguing the Laguna de Bay.

"The universal turtles we used to know are very slow and tame, but these Chinese softshell turtles are predatory and invasive," France said. 

He said fishermen in Barangay Layunan, Binangonan, Rizal caught a predator turtle early morning Wednesday.

"It appears like a soft and gentle creature at the start. But when we let it out of the pail, it ran quickly and tried to attack one of us," he said.

France said the Chinese predator turtles grow very fast compared to other invasive species in Laguna Lake like knife fish and janitor fish.

"We are just puzzled why officials of Laguna Lake Development Authority and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources continue to play deaf on complaints against the proliferation of predator turtles across the 94,000 hectare Laguna de Bay. They never report the presence of this predatory creature in Laguna Lake to the general public," he said.

Earlier, DENR officials in Central Luzon admitted the proliferation of predator turtles in the region. They said the predator turtles threaten the local fish population and the multimillion bangus (milkfish) and tilapia industry in the region.

The DENR had created a task force to look into the animal’s distribution, feeding habits and reproductive characteristics.

The task force was created in response to complaints of fishpond owners and operators about the turtle preying on local fish species, including bangus and tilapia fingerlings, in fishponds. - Dennis Carcamo