Turtles killed by RAK fishermen; action urged

Fishermen using banned equipment killed many turtles and other endangered marine creatures in Ras Al khaimah, prompting calls for intensified patrols by competent authorities to stop such practices. Boat owners and residents of Al Geer and Shaam in the northern emirate blamed Asian fishermen for such massacres, saying many of those fishermen used banned tools in fishing. They said turtles and other protected marine species which are trapped in the fishermen’s nets are dumped on the beach. “Some Asian fishermen are to blame for this problem…they just jump those creatures on the sand, leaving them to die…they never bother release them back into the water,” boat owner Ali Shehi said, quoted by Alkhaleej daily. “We urge the Ministry of Environment and other competent departments to end this tragedy by better monitoring wrong fishing practices and stopping them.” The paper quoted other local fishermen as saying dumping such a large number of turtles and other creates on the sand is causing foul smell in the area, scare off beach strollers and damage ecological balance.