FRIDAY DECEMBER 3 1999
Charting migration path of marine turtles
Wong :Research will be
successful
Reports by Wilson Luke, Frankie Lian Labang, Aden Nagrace, Sharon Ling,
Christie Aili and Harun Jau
PHOTOGRAPHS : MOHD RADZI and JOHN CHAN
KUCHING - Environment and Public Health Minister Datuk Amar James
Wong is confident the Talang-Satang Turtle Research Working Group would
determine the feeding grounds and successfully chart the migration path of
marine turtles tagged with satellite tracking device by end of February next
year.
Launched this year, the satellite transmitter called PTT (Platform Transmitter
Terminal) is glued to the dorsal carapace or shell of marine turtles when their
nesting ends on the beach. When the turtle is on the surface, above the
water, the exposed PT will send a burst of radio signal carrying information on
the identity of the transmitter and other sensor data.
He told reporters at the Dewan Undangan Negeri foyer yesterday this was
feasible as proven by a marine turtle he had named `Puteri Limbang' being
detected in the waters of the Philippines, northeast from the Sabah turtle
islands. Two others were also found swimming in the same waters.
A second marine turtle named `Puteri Talang' by Datuk Law Hieng Ding who
is Science, Technology and Environment Minister, was last detected at Pulau
Banggi off the northern tip of Sabah. Another has been detected in the
Celebes Island near Pulau Padjang in Indonesia (1,800 kilometres away from.....
