It is the nesting season, but over 100 Olive Ridley Turtles have been found lying dead on the beaches of Chennai in the past two weeks. There is a very high probability of more carcasses of the vulnerable turtle species floating in the Bay of Bengal.
The death of the turtles has been attributed to the trawling and gill nets used for fishing, both of which are illegal during the nesting season.
Advertisement
The turtles get trapped in the gill nets, which go deep into the sea, and are drowned as a result. When caught in trawlers, they are dragged to great distances under the water during which they are unable to breathe and die.
In September 2016, Tamil Nadu had imposed a ban on any kind of fishing vessel within 5 nautical miles (9 km) under Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulation Act 1983 during December and January.
During the nesting season, the Olive Ridley turtles swim all the way up to the northern banks of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea to lay eggs in large numbers.
Conservationists have been struggling to protect the turtles from deaths due to illegal fishing in the regions where they nest.
India’s western and eastern coastlines are one of the two most preferred breeding grounds for Olive Ridley turtles, the other being the western coast of Mexico.
