If you harvest turtles during the 10 year ban that is now in place and do not apply for exemption from the Fisheries Department, there are consequences that you will face.

The Fisheries Department said if you are in violation of the turtle ban or the Turtle Protection Act, you can face between 3-6 months imprisonment and or up to $500 fines.

However, these are only the national fines whereas under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which basically means if one harvests marine turtles for trade, one may be charged as much as $20,000 and or imprisonment for five years.

The Fisheries Department said at the moment the biggest hurdle they face is lack of resources to work with outer islands on awareness of this issue, however adding that there are NGOs which are helping with the fight against marine turtle extinction.

The Department said they hope people will take heed of the warnings against fishing, hunting and killing soon to be extinct species.

The turtle ban, approved by Cabinet late last year, has been extended to 2018.