Sea turtles were rescued and released back to sea in Nha Trang

Vietnam is home to 5 species of sea turtles: Leather Turtle, Green Turtle / Green Turtles, Hawksbill Turtle, Brass Hare and Pineapple Turtle. All of these species are protected at the highest levels prescribed by Vietnamese and international law. According to the Penal Code 2015 (amended and supplemented 2017), acts of hunting, catching, killing, transporting, trading, capturing, storing sea turtles or transporting, trading and storing products / parts thereof (regardless of quantity, volume, value of material evidence) will be criminally punished with a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison. However, Vietnam's sea turtles are now seriously threatened, which is largely caused by human activities.

Among the 5 species of sea turtles, the Hawksbill Turtle is a species that is suffering a serious reduction. While they play a very important role in the ecosystem because they eat sponges, keep the reefs healthy, the number of Hawksbill individuals dropped by 80% in just the last century, mainly due to hunting. get apricot shells to make handicrafts such as jewelry, combs, frames, etc. According to conservation organizations, there are only 15,000 adult female prey now in the world. Turtles are also facing the same situation when they have only about 1/1000 chance of surviving to adulthood. Over the past 5 years, an average of 150,000 young green turtles return to the ocean each year. According to the above rate, the number of green turtles that can reach adulthood will only be about 150 individuals per year. According to a 2016 study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in recent years, pineapple tortoise has only had 10 calves to lay every year at some beaches in Bai Tu Long area and province. Quang Binh. In Son Tra peninsula, Pineapple tortoise has completely disappeared since 2015.

Under these circumstances, strengthening enforcement activities to protect sea turtles is extremely necessary.

In particular, the prosecution of criminal liability, as well as the trial of trafficking and transportation of sea turtles and sea turtle eggs are one of the effective measures to deter, prevent related violations and affirming the rigor of the law. In September 2017, Con Dao became the first locality in the country to handle criminal violations related to sea turtle eggs, pioneering to pave the way for other localities to join hands to protect the species. sea ​​turtle. On June 4, the People's Court of Nha Trang City sentenced Hoang Tuan Hai to four years and six months of imprisonment for illegal gathering, processing and trading of more than 10 tons of sea turtles that were authorities detection in late 2014 - the case is thought to have the largest number of seized sea turtles in the world. This is considered to be the longest imprisonment penalty related to the violations of sea turtles in Vietnam up to now, showing the need for criminal responsibility prosecution and trial of stored objects. , trading and transporting sea turtles and sea turtle products in deterrence and prevention of related violations.

In addition, awareness raising activities in the protection of sea turtles have been paid much attention to by many localities in order to spread the message of sea turtle protection. The community itself will become an important contributor to efforts to protect this marine species.

An individual turtles is kept in a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

Ms. Thai Thi Thuy, a resident of Con Dao - Locality with the highest number of turtles laying eggs in the country, said: “I myself will not consume sea turtles nor products from sea turtles. Next I will propagate to everyone especially family members about not consuming sea turtles. Tourists to Con Dao will also propagate the same and together protect the environment so that sea turtles come to Con Dao more and more. ”

Ms. Mai Thi Viet Nguyet - Director of Sunshine Con Dao Service - Travel Co., Ltd expressed her wish: "Representing the people working in the field of tourism, I myself always want tourism companies to to protect the sea turtles, because of that, we have the potential to exploit tourism in the future, not only for the present, for the immediate future, not only for now but also for the long term, my life, my children, my life. nephew and the life of all the people living in Con Dao. "

Individuals can also participate in sea turtle protection activities by not trading meat, sea turtle eggs and souvenirs made from them, keeping the marine environment clean, and reporting related violations such as hunting. Illegal capture, capturing, marketing and trading of products from sea turtles to local authorities or the Nature Education Center (ENV) via the hotline 1800-1522. Give sea turtles a chance to live, because protecting turtles is protecting our future and future generations.