Puri: The Puri coast is no more an attractive or safe nesting site for the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles, if the data obtained from the Forest division here is to be believed.
As per the data on marine species from Puri forest division, forest officials and volunteers had collected 48, 646 Olive Ridley eggs from 444 nests on the Puri coast in the 2019-20 breeding season. However, only 18, 953 baby turtles hatched out at the hatcheries set up by the Forest department. This was the lowest in last four years, said a Forest department official.
As per the data, the Forest department had collected 1, 21, 874 Olive Ridley eggs from 3,043 nests on Puri coast in 2016-17 breeding season. As many as 1, 05, 142 baby turtles had come out from the eggs at the temporary hatcheries set up by the department.
Similarly, the department had collected 84,132 eggs from 1,616 nests on Puri coast in 2017-18 breeding season while 72,314 baby turtles had hatched out at Forest department hatcheries.
The data further revealed that a total of 75, 236 turtle eggs had been collected from 804 nests on Puri coast in 2018-19 breeding season. Only 30,922 baby turtles had come out from the eggs during last breeding season, said the data.
It is worth mentioning here that thousands of Olive Ridley turtles usually congregate at Puri and some other coasts in Odisha in the winter to lay eggs. A female turtle can lay up to 120 eggs at a time.
The sea turtles usually bury their eggs in sand to prevent from being devoured by predators. The eggs usually take 45 to 60 days to hatch, said a wildlife expert.
To facilitate the safe breeding of Olive Ridley turtles, the state government usually puts restrictions on fishing on the coast from November 1 to May 31. This part, the Forest department usually sets up several temporary hatcheries to hatch the turtle eggs.
Many environmentalists and wildlife experts, meanwhile, blamed illegal fishing in the coastal sea for downward trend in the collection and hatching of turtle eggs in Puri coast.
“Thousands of Olive Ridley turtles die due to illegal fishing in the restricted zones. Fishing through trawlers and mechanised boats in the restricted zone is causing the death of turtles. Even, dogs, jackals and birds are damaging turtle eggs by digging out the nests,” said an environmentalist.
Assistant conservator of forests (ACF) Prashanta Kumar Swain said many turtle eggs were damaged due to unseasonal rains too.