KARACHI: Pakistan’s continental shelf was home to four of the total seven reported species of marine turtles while the use of illegal fishing nets by Pakistani fishermen is one of the leading causes of depletion of the population of marine turtles, as per experts.
The speakers explained that marine turtles were one of the oldest surviving reptiles on the planet. Globally, there were seven species of marine turtles of which six are found in the Indian Ocean, more specifically the South-East Asian region. Four of these species have been observed in the coastal areas of Pakistan.
They were speaking at a two-day regional symposium on the subject organised by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) under its Saving the Endangered Sea Turtles project.
It was held with the collaboration of USAID’s small grants and ambassador funds programme. It was attended by marine conservation experts from Bangladesh, Germany, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and UAE, besides representatives of government departments, academia and private organisations.
