Increasing numbers of marine turtles are laying eggs on Japanese beaches, the Environment Ministry said in a new report. <\/p>\n
It shows a general rise since 2008 in egg-laying by three species green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtles all of which are listed as endangered. The figures were compiled by the Sea Turtle Association of Japan. <\/p>\n
The associations head, Yoshimasa Matsuzawa, said the rise may be due to protections introduced in the 1970s. Those measures, he said, may have led to a decrease in the illegal poaching of eggs and helped to boost egg production by mature adults. <\/p>\n
However, there has been a rise in eggs being eaten by raccoons and boars. The association has launched efforts to protect egg-laying grounds. <\/p>\n
The association organized surveys with the help of volunteers of 41 known egg beaches across the country between fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2012. <\/p>\n
The report said egg production has been increasing for all the three species, most markedly among loggerhead turtles: It records a 2.7-fold rise from 3,562 instances of egg-laying in 2004 to 9,661 in 2012. <\/p>\n
Egg production by green turtles has been rising since 2010, while nine eggs of hawksbill turtles were confirmed in 2011, an increase compared to recent years. <\/p>\n
Sea turtles take 30 to 40 years to mature. They lay eggs every two to four years. <\/p>\n
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Increasing numbers of sea turtles are laying eggs on Japans beaches<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Increasing numbers of marine turtles are laying eggs on Japanese beaches, the Environment Ministry said in a new report. It shows a general rise since 2008 in egg-laying by three species green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtles all of which are listed as endangered. The figures were compiled by the Sea Turtle Association of Japan. Continue reading