If you can’t lick them, eat them.
That seems to be the advice of Director Theresa Mundita Lim of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) to fishermen and operators who are directly affected by the proliferation of Chinese soft-shelled turtles.
“It is okay to catch and eat them. In fact, this could be the reason these Chinese soft-shelled turtle were brought into the country and released into the wild by those who may have thought of having them here in the Philippines,” Lim said.
These types of turtles are considered a delicacy in many parts of Asia. Turtle soup is made from this species.
In Japan, they may be stewed with noodles and served as a winter delicacy.
In China, these turtles are found in rivers, lakes, ponds, canals, and creeks with slow currents. They have been introduced to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor, Guam, some of the Hawaiian Islands, and most recently in the Philippines.
Chinese soft-shelled turtles, scientifically known as “Pelodiscus sinensis,” have invaded the waters of Central Luzon, as well as Laguna de Bay. In Pampanga, Bulacan and Bataan, they have become a menace as they prey on “bangus” (milkfish) and tilapia fingerlings in fishponds.
According to Arthur Salazar, deputy director for protected areas, wildlife and coastal zone management service, the Chinese soft-shelled turtles are carnivorous and aggressive, “preferring to forage at night to feed on fish, crustaceans, mollusks and insects.”
Filipinos never learned. During the 1980s, “golden kuhol” became popular as it was touted to be a delicacy.
Because it was good food and equally good alternative source of income, enterprising farmers started raising “golden kuhol” in their backyards.
But barely three years after its introduction to the Philippines, the snail which is said to have originated from the Amazon River in South America was practically everywhere. The snail multiplies rapidly, a characteristic that transformed them from being a rare delicacy to a dreaded pest.
“Golden kuhol” are very prolific; a female snail lays 200 to 500 eggs at a time, and between 1,000 to 1,200 eggs during one month. They proliferate rapidly as their eggs and hatchlings are transported by rivers and streams.
They are dispersed to the rice fields through irrigation water.
“The introduced snail has caused one of the worst biological disasters ever to have affected Philippine agriculture with its invasion of irrigated rice fields,” said national scientist Rafael D. Guerrero III.
“Because of its prolific breeding and voracious breeding habits, the snail is highly destructive to newly-planted rice seedlings.”
“Not all that are good for other countries is good for us,” reminded Dr. Guerrero, who was formerly the executive director of the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development. “In fact, it can be a big problem.”
Guerrero was referring to invasive alien species, of which Chinese soft-shelled turtles and “golden kuhol” are two examples. The Convention on Biological Diversity defines IAS as those that are introduced into new habitats by human intervention and usually are invasive or aggressive.
AIS, as described by the US Department of Agriculture, are plants, animals, and microbes not native to a region which, when introduced either accidentally or intentionally, out-compete native species for available resources, reproduce prolifically, and dominate regions and ecosystems.
AIS have been classified into microorganisms (avian malaria, banana bunchy top virus, rinderpest virus), aquatic plants (water hyacinth), land plant (cogon, mimosa, African tulip tree), aquatic invertebrates (green crab, marine clam), land invertebrate (common malaria mosquito, golden apple snail, common wasp), amphibian (bullfrog, cane toad), fish (carp, Mozambique tilapia), bird (Indian myna bird, red-vested bulbul), reptile (brown tree snake), and mammal (domestic cat, goat, mouse, pig, rabbit, and red fox).
“After habitat loss, this biological invasion constitutes the greatest threat to biodiversity, and it has already had devastating consequences for the planet,” says an official of the World Conservation Union.
“The economic bill runs into tens of billions of dollars every year. Pests, weeds and pathogens, introduced deliberately or accidentally, reduce crop and stock yields, and degrade marine and freshwater ecosystems.”
In the Philippines, the PAWB has identified about 170 alien or non-endemic species of plants, animals and insects that have been recorded as causing damage to agriculture and local biodiversity.
In the film “War of the Worlds,” the Martians were defeated by an Earthly infection – perhaps a bout of flu – to which they had no resistance. Real world aliens, however, are often made of sterner stuff.
