A fine imposed by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) on six men involved in killing turtles on a Baa atoll uninhabited island has been reduced to MVR 33,000.
The EPA was first alerted to the incident of slaughter and cooking of turtles on Keyodhoo island last February.
The group of men from Baa Kendhoo killed six turtles, EPA said at the time. They were caught cooking and processing turtle meat.
They were released after questioning by the police. In June, based on the police and EPA investigations, the men were each fined MVR 198,000 to be paid in 30 days.
The fines were not paid before the deadline.
The EPA said in a statement on Thursday that the Environment Ministry sought legal advice from the Attorney General’s Office, which decided the fine for harming protected species should be between MVR 30,000 and MVR 50,000.
The men were informed on Wednesday of the fine reduction to MVR 33,000 and told to pay within 30 days, the EPA said.
The sale of turtle eggs was banned in the Maldives in 1996. The poaching of turtle eggs from 14 turtle hatching islands was prohibited in 2016.
