The World Sustainability Organisation (WSO) has called for responsible fishing to protect endangered marine lives and an end to the consumption of sea turtles in Nigeria.
In an event held in Ikoyi, Lagos, the founder and director of the group, Paolo Bray said that sea turtles act as a check on predatory species, especially jellyfish, which feed on other fish of commercial value.
The group under its project – Friend of the Sea — said that excess jellyfish population can disrupt the marine environment.
“In areas where we have seen a decrease in turtles populations due to the accidental bycatch in fisheries as in the Gulf of Mexico, which is the case study, we have seen amazing growth in jellyfish population with the detrimental consequences for the other fish stocks, which have decreased dramatically.”
“And this could very soon be up and although it’s also in the waters of Nigeria and cause also the decrease of bycatches of other important commercial species.”
He said Nigeria has five of the seven species of sea turtles and they should not be allowed to go into extinction.
He listed the natural threats as habitat destruction, poaching, entanglement in fishing gears, pollution and oil spills and climate change.