At least 800 Olive Ridley sea turtles died, their carcasses washed ashore since January 2021, on the beaches of Odisha.
Context
At least 800 Olive Ridley sea turtles died, their carcasses washed ashore since January 2021, on the beaches of Odisha.
Reasons behind the deaths
- Stucking in fishing nets
- Presence of plastic, polythene and other hazardous material
- Dumping of damaged material
Suggestions for reduction in deaths
- Equipping trawlers with turtle excluder devices (TED)
- Enforcing legislation to use TED in trawler nets
- Preventing fishing in the prohibited zone
- Enhanced vigilance
Olive Ridley Turtle
- The Olive Ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
- They inhabit the warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
- These turtles are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
- Conservation Status: The species is recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red list.
- Their products is banned under CITES Appendix I.
Major Sites of Olive Ridley Turtle
These are the five major sites where they are found;
- Gahirmatha Beach, Odisha
- Rushikulya River Mouth, Odisha
- Devi River Mouth, Odisha
- Marina Beach, Chennai
- Velas Beach, Ratnagiri
Gahirmatha marine sanctuary
- Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary 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.
- It is very famous for its nesting beach for olive ridley sea turtles.
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