The rising trend of turtle eggs being sold online has prompted a group of activists to form a social media surveillance team known as Turtle Watch Malaysia.
Activist Dr Mohd Uzair Rusli, who is Universiti Malaysia Ter-engganu's Oceanography and Environment Institute Research Laboratory head, said the team's establishment had enabled activists to receive information from the public.
He said Turtle Watch Malaysia had gathered almost 1,000 "spies" who would inform the team of the online sale of turtle eggs, and these listings had been reported to the Fisheries Department for investigation.
"We also encourage Netizens to criticise the sellers and buyers.
"If they are brave enough to sell turtle eggs openly, we must also be brave in calling them out in a prudent and civilised manner.
"Selling turtle eggs openly is seen as disrespecting turtle conservation efforts. We have to be more vocal about conservation efforts so that they will not go to waste."
Uzair said the selling of turtle eggs online had increased since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was implemented last year.
"This is a dangerous activity because the demand for turtle eggs has increased drastically.
"Following calls by a coalition of non-governmental organisations last year, the Terengganu government has agreed to amend an enactment on turtles to ban the sale of all types of turtle eggs.
"However, the process of formulating the new enactment has stalled and is moving very slowly due to the implementation of nationwide MCOs.
"This has led to turtle egg sellers feeling safe as no legal action can be taken against them at this time."
The Terengganu Turtle Enactment 1951 (Amended 1987) only prohibits the sale of leather-back turtles' eggs, but it is no longer relevant to the current situation as the species has not landed in Terengganu for a long time.
Uzair said Turtle Watch Malaysia had received complaints about the online sale of turtle eggs almost every week.
"We submit the report to the Fisheries Department if it is proven that the eggs were collected in restricted areas, such as marine parks.
"The largest amount that we have detected is the offer to sell 600 turtle eggs from Pulau Redang, which is estimated to be worth RM3,000.
"There are also sellers who offer delivery services to districts here."
He said although the culture
of eating turtle eggs was ingrained in the state, it had to be stopped.
"Commercialising this activity causes the eggs to be collected in huge amounts and, as a result, we will fail to produce new adult female turtles.
"We have to incubate as many eggs as possible because we are facing a high number of predators, whereby only one out of 1,000 baby turtles can grow up safely at sea."
Uzair urged people to stop selling turtle eggs as it would harm the state's economy and tourism sector. --Bernama