The Colombian Navy this week made the finding of 138 kilograms of illegal Hawksbill Turtle fishing, which were inside a Nicaraguan flag boat that would arrive at the island of San Andrés with merchandise and food.
Through the specific command of San Andrés and Providencia, a Rapid Reaction Unit-URR-of the Coast Guard Station of San Andrés, intercepted the boat and during the inspection and search found inside six bags with 138 kilograms with hawksbill turtle meat.
The confiscated illegal fishing was put into custody of officials of the Corporation for the Sustainable Development of the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina-CORALINA-, while the boat named Capt Lloyd and the captain were taken to the Coast Guard Station of San Andrés to be processed by the Colombian judicial and immigration authorities.
Hunting and marketing of this animal is prohibited in accordance with Article 29 of law 1453 of 2011, which is about the illicit use of renewable natural resources.
The hawksbill turtle is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for threats such as commercial exploitation to make handcraft works with its shell, nest looting, habitat loss and climate change. The Seaflower Biosphere Reserve is known as one of the main nesting areas for the animal.
The Colombian Navy will continue to carry out operations for the protection of the good territorial physical condition, the maritime spaces of the nation, the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve and its resources. In the same way, it invites the community to report any criminal or suspicious act through the free of charge emergency lines 123, 146 or channel 16 VHF.
Source: press-Colombian Navy
