Olive Ridley Turtles

A large number of Olive Ridley turtles have begun to arrive in Odisha for mating at the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary.

Concerning Olive Ridley turtles

• Lepidochelys olivacea is the scientific name for the Pacific ridley sea turtle.
• Found in the warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans.
• One of the tiniest sea turtles on the planet.
• Their shell is an olive green colour.
• They can grow to be two and a half feet long and weigh up to 45 kilogrammes.
• Food consists primarily of shrimp, crab, mollusks, fish, and crabs.
• Known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada (Spanish for "arrival by the sea"), where thousands of females congregate on the same beach to lay eggs.
• It takes 45 to 60 days for them to hatch.
• Gender: determined by the temperature at which they are hatched.
• A male turtle is born if the egg hatches at a temperature below 29 degrees Celsius.
• Above that, the hatchling is a female.

Sea Turtles in India: There are five species of sea turtles in Indian waters viz.,

• Leatherback,
• Loggerhead,
• Hawksbill,
• Green and
• Olive Ridley.

Conservation Status of Olive Ridley Turtle:

• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
• Schedule I of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
• CITES Appendix I

Nesting sites:

• Rushikulya rookery coast (Odisha),
• Gahirmatha beach (Bhitarkanika National park) and
• Mouth of the Devi River.

Threats:

• More frequent and intense flooding and cyclones
• Sex ratio is getting skewed because of global warming.
• Hunted for meat and shell.
• Anthropogenic factors like fishing trawlers etc.

About Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary

• It is a marine wildlife sanctuary located in Odisha.
• It is the world's largest nesting beach for Olive Ridley Turtles.
• It extends from Dhamra River mouth in the north to Brahmani river mouth in the south.
• Gahirmatha was declared a turtle sanctuary in 1997 by Odisha after considering its ecological importance and as part of efforts to save the sea turtles.

Syllabus subtopic: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

Prelims and Mains focus: about Olive Ridley Turtles and steps taken for their conservation; about IUCN

News: Preparations are almost done at the Rushikulya rookery on the Odisha coast to welcome and protect Olive ridley turtles during mass nesting. Odisha has half of the world’s Olive Ridley turtle population and 90% of India’s turtle population lives in the state.

Steps taken by the state government

• To provide security to mother turtles as well as the eggs from human and predator intervention, the forest department is erecting an over 5-km-long fence of metal net from Gokharkuda to Bateswar. This stretch is the most preferred location for mass nesting in the Rushikulya rookery.

• The forest officials have already completed two to three rounds of awareness drive at all villages near the rookery.

• Fishing in mechanised boats, including trawlers, has been banned. The forest department officials are also patrolling the region in two trawlers, two speed boats and a country boat.

• Debris and plastic waste, like pieces of fishing net, are being removed with the help of locals. There will be regular monitoring of the beach.

• The department has set up 11 onshore camps. Personnel at these camps regularly document beach condition, inform about the debris deposited by the sea, prevent entry of predators like stray dogs and search for turtle carcasses.

About Olive Ridley Turtles

• There are five species of turtles in Indian waters — Leatherback (Vulnerable), Loggerhead (Endangered), Hawksbill (Critically Endangered), Green (Endangered) and Olive Ridley.

• In India, sea turtles are protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

• The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world, inhabiting warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

• The Olive ridley is the most numerous among the sea turtles found in India and is well known for its arribadas, or annual mass nestings when thousands of turtles migrate to the breeding ground to nest simultaneously.

• Recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red list of Threatened Species.

• International trade in these turtles and their products is banned under CITES Appendix I.

• ‘Operation Kachhapa’: Conservation of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle was launched by the Wildlife Protection Society of India in collaboration with the Orissa State Forest Department and the Wildlife Society of Orissa and other local NGOs.

• To reduce accidental killing in India, the Orissa government has made it mandatory for trawls to use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs), a net specially designed with an exit cover which allows the turtles to escape while retaining the catch.