Off the coast of Brahmapur, a city located along the east coast of India’s Odisha, officials are helping ensure that the threatened Olive Ridley sea turtle population grows stronger rather than being decimated by poachers. By taking a proactive stance, India is sending a clear message that environmental issues are of greater importance than ever.
Olive Ridley Turtles Vulnerable
Each year, usually in November through January, Olive Ridley turtles aggregate to mate before females head to their nesting grounds located along the Rushikulya coast. In years past, poachers dragging trawl nets captured turtles by the boatload, reducing the number of adult Olive Ridley turtles and preventing nesting from taking place. This year, India’s Forest Department came up with a plan for protecting the turtles and their nesting grounds, taking aggressive action against poachers.
As a preliminary measure, the Berhampur Divisional Forestry Office set up boat patrols alongside the State Fisheries Department, completely blocking the trawlers from entering the breeding area and preventing them from even getting close.
In addition, the Forest Department set up nine separate camps along the coast, both to protect Olive Ridley turtle nests from predators and egg poachers, and to watch the coast for any Olive Ridley remains. According to Officer S.S. Mishra of the Forest Department, the number of Olive Ridley bodies found was quite low and all of them appeared to have died of natural causes rather than as the result of illegal activity. He told reporters that the extra vigilance was paying off, and that’s a great step in encouraging the turtles to make a strong comeback.
Also known as Pacific Ridley sea turtles, Olive Ridley sea turtles are fairly small growing carapaces with a maximum length of just about 70 centimeters (28 inches). Historically, Olive Ridleys were among the most abundant of the planet’s sea turtles, with more than a million being harvested off the coast of Mexico in 1968. By 2004, mass exploitation caused a near total species collapse, with the global population of nesting females estimated at just about two million. Before commercial fisheries started targeting these turtles, there were about 10 million living in the Mexican Pacific region alone.
Not only were the turtles themselves targeted, nesting grounds were destroyed, preventing proper migration and mating from occurring. Now there are once again a few well-established and well-protected nesting grounds, including the one near Odisha; around half a million turtles arrive en masse to mate and nest there each year, now that protection has been set in place.
So far, things are looking up for the turtles, thanks to India’s wildlife protection agencies. The sanctuary here was created in 1997, and is the world’s largest known Olive Ridley sea turtle rookery. Hatchlings emerge between 45 and 51 days after eggs are laid in good weather, and up to 70 days after eggs are laid when conditions are poor. The forestry service helps to protect the young hatchlings after they emerge from their shells in hopes that the majority will make it safely into the sea and survive the first few tenuous years of life.