Bhubaneswar: With major rookeries in the state witnessing increased human activities, environmentalists have expressed concerns about the extinction of olive ridley turtles and the possibility of this marine species abandoning their traditional nesting sites in the state.
Currently, Orissa is known as one of the largest nesting sites of olive ridley turtles the world over. In Orissa, Gahirmatha, Rushikulya and Devi river mouth are the three traditional nesting sites of olive ridley turtles. However, among these rookeries, Devi river mouth has not reported nesting for more than 10 years now.
Although Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act (1982) and Rules (1983) bar mechanised fishing within 5 km of the state’s coastline, even where rookeries do not exist, illegal fishing is a common sight. Environmentalists stress the need for strict enforcement of the law by the State Forest Department, the State Fisheries Department and the Coast Guard to prevent illegal fishing.
“Illegal trawling is a major challenge for the turtle species. Similarly, development of ports also affects survival of the species. So, if conservation measures are not taken, these turtles would abandon the nesting sites in the state,” said Biswajit Mohanty, a leading wildlife expert.
Abandoning of major nesting sites by turtles could affect their population, said experts, expressing concern over the expansion of ports at Gahirmatha and Rushikulya.
“Currently, mass nesting is happening only in Gahirmatha and Rushikulya. But presence of ports at these two locations will pose a challenged for the survival of the species. Dhamra Port is near Gahirmatha and Gopalpur Port is in close proximity to Rushikulya. These are already existing ports, and, unfortunately, more ports have been proposed to come up in turtle habitats. So, this increased human activity will compel the species to abandon these locations,” said Rabindra Nath, a leading turtle expert.
Environmentalists and turtle experts also suggest that more studies be conducted on the impact of ports at turtle nesting sites.
“Though there have been so many studies done on the nesting sites of olive ridley turtles, none has been on the impact of ports and related expansions on these species. Therefore, the government must conduct a study to assess the impact,” said Basudev Tripathy, another turtle expert.
Jose K Joseph, OP
