Two men from Miami caught with a loggerhead tail are heading to court on Aug. 27 to determine whether they should be convicted or not.
It is illegal to be in possession of a sea turtle or any of their parts but David Hernandez Sordo and Pedro Suarez were caught by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission last Jan. 29 with a loggerhead turtle tail in their truck after running a red light. When they were accosted, it was also discovered that the 24-foot Mako boat they had been towing was not properly secured with tie-downs.
FWC officers then saw a bloodied fillet knife in the truck, prompting the two men to admit that they had been fishing. Sordo and Suarez gave the officers permission to search the rest of their truck and that's when two blacknose sharks and the tail of a loggerhead turtle were found.
Asked about the tail, the two men told FWC officers that they had just seen it float past their boat. They simply took it out of the water and put the tail into their cooler thinking it would be good as bait.
Unfortunately for Sordo and Hernandez, loggerheads are protected by federal law as the sea turtle is considered an endangered species.
Under Florida law, the two men could face jail time of up to 60 days and a fine amounting to $500. Under the 1973 U.S. Endangered Species Act, however, Sordo and Suarez could be looking at civil penalties of up to $25,000 while criminal fines will bring that number up to $100,000 plus up to 12 months in jail.
According to Bette Zirkelbach, Turtle Hospital manager, the tail confiscated from the two men was from a loggerhead estimated to be around 70 years old. She's against a light sentence for Sordo and Suarez because she believes that, even if they are convicted, the punishment will not push other people to respect sea turtles.
"We're looking for a big turnout in the community to let law enforcement know this is not OK," she added.
In some cases in the past involving sea turtles, penalties were reduced to community service and and $500 fine.
Aside from being used as bait, turtle parts are also believed to be aphrodisiacs by some cultures in the Caribbean and used as an ingredient in Mama Juana, a beverage from the Dominican Republic.
Photo: Angell Williams | Flickr
