A fisherman has admitted stabbing to death between 30 and 50 green sea turtles, a protected species, which got stuck in his net in southern Japan.
The animals were found dead or dying last Thursday, with knife marks on their necks.
The facts occurred on a beach on the island of Kumejima, 1,600 km southwest of Tokyo.
“It was an awful scene,” said Yoshimitsu Tsukakoshi, a member of a local sea turtle conservation organization. “Sea turtles are gentle creatures and they run away when humans get too close.
I can't believe such a thing can happen in our time.
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Turtles vs Fishermen
It was the leader of the local fishing cooperative who said on Tuesday that a fisherman had confessed.
The man, whose identity has not been revealed, claimed to have released many of the turtles caught in his nets, but then began to stab them to weaken them and free them more easily.
"He said he had never seen so many turtles in his nets," added the leader.
“Now he regrets.
The city and the police have opened an investigation.
It is not known if the fisherman incurs penalties.
An editorial in the local
Okinawa Times
daily condemned the act on Tuesday, but also called on local elected officials to take into account the fishermen's grievances.
They believe that turtles cause economic damage.
As their numbers increase, they collide with their boats, risking damage and injury.
Fishermen are also concerned because the turtles eat the sea grasses that serve as habitat for the fish.
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