44 Leatherback Turtle Eggs Laid In Marang Found Unfertilised - DOF

DUNGUN, Oct 16 (Bernama) -- A technical examination by the Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DOF) found that all 44 eggs from the first leatherback turtle nest laid at Pantai Pasir Putih in Marang on Sept 1 were unfertilised.

Fisheries director-general Datuk Adnan Hussain said an inspection of the nest on Sept 30, the 30th day of incubation, found no evidence of embryonic development in the eggs.

He said the findings were documented in a technical report prepared by the Fisheries Research Institute in Rantau Abang, near here, on Oct 3.

“The examination found no white spots on the eggshells, which are typically associated with the early stages of embryonic development.

“An examination using a light source also revealed no signs of developing blood vessels or the outline of an embryo,” he told reporters after inspecting leatherback turtle eggs being incubated at the Turtle Conservation and Information Centre (TCIC) hatchery in Rantau Abang, near here, last night.

Five leatherback turtle landings have been recorded along the Terengganu coast since Sept 1, with a total of 313 eggs laid.

Adnan said inspections also found that the eggs had turned blackish and yellowish, while the presence of microorganisms and maggots indicated that decomposition was underway.

He said the failure of the leatherback turtle eggs to be fertilised posed an additional challenge to efforts to conserve the species.

“This development poses a challenge to efforts to conserve the ‘King of Turtles’ and is believed to be a concern not only in Malaysia but also in other countries,” he said.

Adnan said leatherback turtle landings along the Terengganu coast had been recorded in 2010 and 2017, before the species returned this year after a nine-year gap in recorded landings.

However, he said the landings in 2010 and 2017 did not produce any hatchlings, with the last successful hatching in Rantau Abang recorded in 2000.

“Of the 1,914 leatherback turtle eggs recorded in 2000, only 115, or about six per cent, hatched,” he said.

Adnan said green turtles, which frequently come ashore along the east coast, had a much higher hatching rate of between 70 and 75 per cent.

“As such, we exercise extreme caution when handling leatherback turtle eggs due to their low hatching rate,” he said.

-- BERNAMA