The Environment Public Authority is imposing additional conditions on licensing fish pens by placing an exit path for marine creatures that are stuck in them, after the incident of the seven sea turtles that got caught in them last month, an Arab daily reported.
Deputy Director General for Technical Affairs, Dr. Abdullah Al-Zaidan, said the move came after a report was made by one of the pioneers of Failaka Island about the presence of turtles that were trapped in old fishing equipment called “al-hadra”, an iron cage near the coast used for fishing. Al-Zaidan added that seven green turtles, whose habitat is near Failaka, were spotted in it. He pointed out that a single turtle may weigh more than 100 kilograms, requiring an effort from a specialized team to get it out of the pens when stuck.
Al-Zaidan added that the concerned department in the authority, commissioned by the Deputy Director-General for Technical Affairs, will meet regarding the licensing of fishing pens in Failaka Island to add a clause pertaining to adding a window or door that would allow the exit of stranded turtles as soon as it is opened without the need for human intervention. He stressed that Kuwait is fully committed to the specifications set for fishing tools by the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council, stressing that adding an emergency door to the hadra, similar to the rear trawl outlets, contributes to reducing the accidental death of turtles and other marine animals that may be caught in them.
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