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Large-scale turtle nesting at Rushikulya likely

BERHAMPUR: Officials of the Forest Department and environmental activists are hopeful that there may be heavy nesting of Olive Ridley turtles at Rushikulya rookery coast in Ganjam district of south Orissa.

Presence of large number of Olive Ridley turtles in shallow sea near this coast and increasing number of mating pairs of these turtles hint at it, says Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Berhampur A.K. Jena. According to him this year mass nesting of Olive Ridleys at Rushikulya rookery coast is expected to start from last week of February.

At present thousands of Olive Ridleys, including mating pairs, are being sighted within a distance of five km from the coast line near Rushikulya rookery. It may be noted that this coast is one of the major nesting sites of Olive Ridleys in India.

This year coastline near Rushikulya rookery is also conducive for nesting, says Mr. Jena.

Experts, who monitor the life of these endangered turtles, feel the turtles would wait for some more time so that the temperature on the coast line increases further to enable proper hatching of eggs. As this year winter chill is slight high, it is expected that the turtles may wait for another few weeks to have the coastal sand near Rushikulya rookery become more warm and conducive for laying eggs. So, it is expected that Olive Ridley turtles may start arriving at this coast for mass nesting from last week of February. But no one can be sure of mood and action of these rare turtles, says Mr. Jena.

Ban on fishing

Fishing has been already banned in the area of sea where these turtles are congregating. This involves the stretch of sea up to a distance of ten km from coastline of Rushikulya rookery. The entire 55 km coastline of Ganajm district is under vigil of the Forest Department to check illegal entry of fishing trawlers into the region inhabited by Olive Ridley turtles near the rookery. One section of police force is deployed at Prunabandha to provide help to the security arrangements for the endangered turtles by the Forest Department. Carcasses of turtles found on Ganjam coast are also being documented to assess the number and cause of turtles' death.

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