The turtle scanning teams in Odisha observed hundreds of mating pairs on the tranquil sea surface along the Gahirmatha coast.
The annual mass nesting of these threatened marine species has started, as pairs of Olive Ridley sea turtles have started to emerge in the waters off Gahirmatha on the coast of Odisha.
The largest Olive Ridley sea turtle rookery in the world is located at Gahirmatha in the Kendrapara district, 150 kilometres from Bhubaneswar, the state capital.
On patrolling drives, forest rangers have seen turtle pairs mating. According to forest officials, the marine sanctuary’s ban on sea fishing is still in place to ensure the uninterrupted breeding of aquatic animals.
These endangered aquatic animals congregate for mass nesting at the Rushikulya and Devi river mouths in Ganjam and Puri districts, respectively, in addition to Gahirmatha.
The turtle surveying teams along the Gahirmatha coast saw hundreds of mating pairs on the calm sea surface.
According to Gahirmatha forest range officer Manas Das, after the mating season is through, the majority of the male turtles often leave the female turtles behind to lay their eggs.
The phenomena known as “arribada” occurs when female turtles almost flood the nesting beaches in the middle of the night to deposit eggs.
The turtles subsequently depart from their breeding area and make their way into the deep ocean. After 45 to 60 days, the eggs hatch into young. The forest inspector said, “The babies grow without their mother is an uncommon natural event.
He claimed that in February and March of this year, an estimated 80,000 female turtles arrived at the nesting beaches in Odisha to create pits and lay millions of eggs.
Because the waters in the Gahirmatha marine reserve is the best habitat for these delicate marine species, there is a year-round restriction on sea fishing there.
Since the gill nets employed by trawls are proving to be carriers of death for breeding turtles, the prohibition was imposed due to an increase in the mortality rate of mating turtles along the coastal water surface.
The Olive Ridley sea turtles become caught in the nets for an extended period of time and perish from asphyxiation, earning them a Schedule-1 animal designation under the Wildlife (Protection) Act due to their severely threatened condition. According to forest staff, a large number of turtles die after being struck by a fishing trawler’s fast-moving propeller.
These endangered species have a high mortality rate. An Olive Ridley sea turtle typically lays 120 to 150 eggs, and after 45 to 60 days, the eggs hatch into hatchlings.
However, some eggs are consumed by predators and remain unharmed.
Additionally, during high tide, sea waves wash away eggs.
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