Mass mortality of Olive Ridley turtles

Mass mortality of Olive Ridley turtles

Subject :Environment

Section: Species in news

Context: Hundreds of vulnerable Olive Ridley Turtles ( Lepidochelys olivacea) have washed ashore along the coastline between Kakinada and Antarvedi in the Godavari region during the ongoing annual breeding season on the east coast.

More on the News:

• The breeding grounds – Sakhinetipalli, Malikipuram, Mamidikuduru and Allavaram – have been witnessing the mass mortality of the turtles over the past few weeks.
• As many as 70 Olive Ridley turtles which have been found dead in their breeding grounds between Kakinada and Antarvedi.
• Reasons
  • The effluents being released from the aqua ponds along the coastline and the discharges from the pipelines of the onshore oil exploration facilities are also blamed for the mass mortality of the turtles.
  • Mechanised boats equipped with speed engines beyond the permissible capacity are proving to be death traps for Olive Ridley turtles on Andhra coast.

About Olive Ridley:

• The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
• These turtles are carnivores and get their name from their olive colored carapace.
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Scheduled 1
• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
• CITES: Appendix I
• They are found in warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
• The males and females olive ridley turtles grow the same in size
• The Odisha’s Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is known as the world’s largest rookery (colony of breeding animals) of sea turtles, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.
• They are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
  • They lay their eggs over a period of five to seven days in conical nests about one and a half feet deep which they dig with their hind flippers.
  • They hatch in 45 to 60 days, depending on the temperature of the sand and atmosphere during the incubation period.
• Breeding Grounds of Olive Ridley in India
  • Olive Ridely Turtles come to the beaches of Odisha coast annually between November and December and stay on until April and May for nesting.
  • The turtles choose the narrow beaches near estuaries and bays for laying their eggs.
  • Three river mouths where the turtles come together for mass nesting – Dhamra River, Rushikulya River, Devi River.

Operation Olivia :

• Operation Oliva has been launched by the Indian Coast Guard in the state of Odisha.
• It is an annual mission that aims to protect the Olive Ridley sea turtles during their breeding seasons and to conserve their natural breeding habitats.
• The Mission has been launched this year jointly with the Odisha state forest department. Two dedicated ships of the coast guard and some aircraft have been engaged in this novel nature conservation activity.
• The two ships will ensure that fishing vessels do not enter the major breeding sites of the turtles like Gahirmatha marine sanctuary, Dhamara River, and Rushikulya beach.