Kendrapara: At a time when the state government is using the Olive Ridley turtle as mascot to promote the Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup, thousands of these turtles are dying every year facing a host of threats in Gahirmatha marine sanctuary. Rampant movement of fishing boats and trawlers in the prohibited zone and ever-increasing soil erosion on the coastlines have posed threat to the rare turtles as they arrive here for mating and breeding.
Although the Forest department has clamped restrictions on fishing in the prohibited zone of Gahirmatha, it has failed to keep fishermen and trawlers at bay. Reports said that the Forest department has seized over nine boats and trawlers and arrested around 40 fishermen during the last one and half months on the charge of fishing in the prohibited zone. Environmentalists have expressed concern for the safety and protection of the turtles which are placed in Schedule-1 of Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The turtles have arrived at the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary for nesting but the movement of trawlers has posed a serious risk to their lives. The turtles get hit by the trawlers or get caught in fishing nets and die. Moreover, erosion of the coastline has led to the shrinking of their breeding ground.
The regular testing of missiles from the nearby Wheeler island has also affected their breeding in Gahirmatha which is known as the nursery of these sea turtles. The turtles travel thousands of miles across seas and oceans to reach Gahirmatha for mating and laying eggs. The fear is not without basis as the Forest department and marine police grapple with a manpower crunch and lack of infrastructure. The speedboats of the Forest department are lying defunct and the marine police stations are struggling without an adequate number of staff. Besides, these two departments have failed to establish proper coordination with the Indian Coast Guard personnel.
While the Forest department lacks proper speed boats to keep tabs on the fishing trawlers intruding into the prohibited zone, marine police stations at Jambu, Tantiapal, and Kharinasi are struggling with skeletal staff and inadequate infrastructure. Local intelligentsia Ganesh Chandra Samal, Jagannath Das, Dolagobind Jena, and environmentalists Hemant Kumar Rout and Ashok Kumar Swain said that every year 4 to 5 lakh turtles visit Gahirmatha for mating and breeding. The turtles’ selection of this place as well as the timely gathering for nesting has baffled nature lovers and researchers. Gahirmatha sanctuary is spread over 1,435 sq km out of which only 27 sq km of area is land mass. The area has come under various threats owing to a host of factors. The rare turtle is listed as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
The IUCN has stated that out of 1,000 hatchlings, only one grows up to be an adult Olive Ridley turtle and expressed concern over the premature deaths of the turtles. The state Forest and Wildlife department separated the marine region of Gahirmatha from Bhitarkanika National Park September 27, 1997, and granted it the special status of a marine sanctuary. The land mass of Bhitarkanika is now facing coastal erosion. The Nasi 1 and 2 islands, Babubali and Ekakula islands have shrunk due to erosion during the last few years. When contacted, DFO Jogendra Gopinath Yadav said the Forest department has taken a number of steps for the protection of the turtles.
Special camps are being conducted and patrolling has been intensified in the area. Moreover, raids are being conducted on the fishing trawlers entering the prohibited zone.