JAKARTA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers looking for victims of the tsunami triggered by the eruption of Anak Krakatau volcano have rescued dozens of protected sea turtles which were stranded onshore at coastal areas of the Sunda Strait, a government official said here on Wednesday.

"The rescue team has evacuated turtles which were impacted by the tsunami," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the national disaster agency, told a press briefing.

Sea turtles, facing habitat destruction, have been hunted for eggs, meat, skin and shells. Expanding fishing activity also amplifies the threat.

Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of the animals are accidentally caught every year in shrimp trawl nets.

Indonesia, a vast archipelagic nation, is known as a species rich nation.