Revision as of 20:16, 24 March 2018

Olive ridley turtles, India; In the above picture, “this year” means 2016; Graphic courtesy: The Hindu, March 5, 2016

In brief

K N Murali Sankar, Hope Island is a graveyard for Olive Ridleys: Jan 12, 2017: The Hindu

Perilous journey

The turtles, which are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, commence their journey from the Indian Ocean during their mating season in October and November. When they reach the Bay of Bengal, the females lay eggs on the beaches. Even as the destination for a majority is Gahirmatha in Odisha, the sandy stretches of Hope Island of the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary have turned into a breeding area for a few hundred turtles every year.

A female lays 100 to 150 eggs in a pit dug by it carefully and leaves the shore after covering the hollow with sand. Six weeks later, the newly hatched turtles start the journey to their Indian Ocean habitat. Records show 482 turtles laid eggs in 2016.

Population, dwindling

The Hindu, February 27, 2016

Nivedita Ganguly

Their beaches eroding and disturbed by human interference, fewer turtles are returning to nest every year

Every winter, the Olive Ridley turtles begin returning to the beaches of the Eastern coast to lay their eggs. Theirs is a treacherous journey. Trawlers and fishing boats are a threat for them, lights on shore confuse them, and they are routinely disoriented by human disturbances along the beach. But a more obstinate problem awaits the turtles lucky enough to make it to shore: in many places, beach erosion, which has been more pronounced post cyclone Hudhud, has left them with little place to dig a good nest.

In part the problem is not only the extensive loss of beach due to the severe erosion this season. As the endangered turtles lumber out of the surf in the darkness of a balmy spring night to look for a spot to nest, it is a combination of factors – human disturbances and unfavourable environmental conditions – that are resulting in disorienting these highly sensitive marine creatures.

Forest officials and environmentalists have expressed concern over the dwindling numbers of the eggs spotted on the Visakhapatnam coast this time.

Like every year, the Forest Department has set up two hatcheries – one at R.K. Beach and another at Jodugullapalem – a project being carried out at the cost of Rs 6 lakhs. However, according to the figures provided by the Forest Department, there is a drop in the number of eggs collected in the month of January this year as compared to the corresponding period last year. In 2014, nearly 2,900 eggs were collected in January alone, which were kept in the hatcheries. The figure has dropped to 2,100 this year for the month of January. Overall, 3,078 eggs were collected last year. Interestingly, the maximum egg collection happened in the month of January last year.

“This time, there have been many factors leading to the disturbance of the nesting area of the Oliver Ridley turtles. One of the factors is the massive erosion that has affected major portions of the R.K. Beach, one of the main nesting grounds of the turtles. The beach stretch is now less. To assess the exact extent of the impact on turtle eggs, we will have to wait for a couple of more weeks,” says P. Ram Mohan Rao, Divisional Forest Officer.

Volunteers are keeping guard of the hatcheries and the hatchlings will be released in a month’s time.

Classified as ‘Vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) several Olive Ridley turtles lay eggs during this time of the year along the Visakhapatnam coast, considered a sporadic nesting zone. The enclosed hatchery protects the eggs from predators like dogs and visitors to the beach who flock the area unaware of the eggs. Incidentally, the Olive Ridley Turtles take 25 to 30 years to reach adulthood but the survival rate of the young ones is abysmally low.

While the shrinking beach stretch is one of the concerns, the alarming frequency of deaths of Olive Ridley turtles along the coast continues to haunt the forest department and environmentalists. “We have recently spotted carcasses of eight Olive Ridley turtles at the beach opposite Sagar Nagar. However, there were no signs of injuries,” Ram Mohan Rao adds.

Researchers and environmentalists, however, have a different theory to share behind the mysteriously dwindling numbers of the turtle eggs. “Erosion may just be one part of the problem. A much larger issue haunts the Olive Ridleys and that is human interference. Tourist activities have increased substantially along the Vizag beaches, especially the R.K. Beach, one of the main nesting grounds of the turtles. Due to this, the fecundity rate (number of eggs laid at a time) goes down. The turtles may be going through fear psychosis due to human disturbances resulting in lower eggs being laid,” points out Prof. D.E. Babu of Dept. of Zoology, Andhra University.

While conservationist say they want to help the turtles, but they cannot agree how. Every time someone proposes a remedy, someone else is quick to rebut on how it will only make things worse. Because the possible solutions involve access to the beach, a crucial part of Vizag’s growing tourism industry, the arguments are bitter.

In fact, experts suggest that fewer and fewer turtles are returning to nest every year, hinting at a possible migration of turtles from the Vizag coast to a different spot. “Mortality rates are high due to the conflict between the turtles and the fishing community,” says Prof. Babu. Interestingly, this time red tidal waves were spotted at certain critical zones of the coast like the R.K. Beach and Lawsons Bay, which are caused due to “harmful plankton” and are hazardous for the aquatic species. “Turtles have a natural tendency to stay away from such zones,” he adds.

Reasons for declining population

K N Murali Sankar, Hope Island is a graveyard for Olive Ridleys: Jan 12, 2017: The Hindu

Mechanised fishing boats are dealing the turtles a mortal blow as they come to breed

Carcasses of Olive Ridley turtles are washing ashore on Hope Island’s beaches, indicating that the breeding cycle of the endangered species has been dealt a severe blow in 2017 by mechanised fishing boats.

As these fishing boats scour the Bay of Bengal coastline, there is gloom among conservationists and forest department officials that this year will be bad for the turtles.

Though the egg laying has not yet begun, personnel from the wildlife wing of the Forest department have spotted 54 carcasses on the shores of Hope Island in just one month. “In the entire six-month season last year, we spotted 152 carcasses. But this year the numbers seem to be on the rise,” A. Sunil Kumar, Forest Range Officer said.

“Owners of mechanised boats are not taking precautions to protect the turtles. Most of them are crushed under the boats and succumb to injuries,” said K. Thulsi Rao, State project coordinator of the EGREE Foundation that works to conserve flora and fauna in the sanctuary.

The Fisheries Department tried to encourage the mechanised boat owners to fit a Turtle Excluder Device (TED) to their trawl nets to allow the animals to pass, 10 years ago. Of the 422 boats, few have opted for the device due to lack of sensitisation. “The device is not available in the open market,” said S. Angeli, Deputy Director of the Fisheries department.