Navy releases 12 sea turtles trapped in shrimp farms

The Navy, during a special operation in the sea area between Thalpadu and Wankalei, managed to release 12 sea turtles trapped in shrimp farms this morning (22^nd December).

The North Central Naval Command during a special operation conducted in the sea area between Thalpadu and Wankalei had spotted several sea turtles trapped in shrimp farms set up by fishermen. Responding quickly to the plight of the animals, the Navy managed to release 12 sea turtles trapped in those farms back into the ocean.

Further, the Navy released 32 sea turtles trapped in shrimp farms in the same sea area on 24th November 2019 and over 188kg of sea turtle flesh was recovered on 09 occasion during naval operations. The Navy also held 12 suspects in connection to this illegal act and produced them for legal action.

The Navy urges the fishing community to be concerned in conservation of sea turtles that are likely to extinct. There are seven species of sea turtles that are listed as endangered, of which five are found off the coast of Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, to protect these endangered species, naval personnel are constantly working on several sea turtle conservation projects under ‘Neela Haritha Sangramaya’, a visionary concept of Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Piyal De Silva.