Olive Ridley turtle carcasses continue to wash up on the shores of Visakhapatnam

Olive Ridley’s dead body has been found at RK Beach in Visakhapatnam. | Photo credit: KR Deepak

Carcasses of olive ridley turtles, which are currently in their breeding season, continue to wash ashore on the coast of Visakhapatnam.

For the past few days, dead bodies have been found on the sea shores of towns including Mangamaripeta near Bhimili.

Witnesses said that many bodies were found on the beach on Saturday night.

Environmentalists say that most of the deaths are caused by marine pollution and fishing.

Secretary General of the National Fisheries Forum A. Dasu said, “We saw at least 10 dead turtles washed ashore on Saturday night (December 14) at the city’s beaches, especially at Mangamaripeta. It is a shocking experience. During this season, the turtles come up to about 500 meters from shore to lay their eggs.

“I have also seen some turtle carcasses on the city beach. I feel guilty. Why are bodies left on the beach instead of being buried? It’s a scary sight to see birds feasting on them,” said K. Suresh Kumar, an IT employee who participated in the Vizag Navy Marathon on Sunday (December 15).

The Andhra Pradesh State Forest Department generally protects turtles in all seasons. Officials have said that four artificial hatcheries have been put into operation for conservation this year as well.

“Four hatcheries (nesting points) have been set up in areas like RK Beach and Jodugullapalem. These points will be operational by May,” said Visakhapatnam District Forest Officer Shambangi Venkatesh.

He said that there will be a special team at each hatchery point to collect the eggs laid by the turtles and store them safely.

“We often get reports of dead turtles on city beaches. This happens when turtles come to the surface to breathe and are accidentally caught by heavy fishing vessels during trawling operations. But, this should not happen. More awareness is needed,” he said.

“No one intentionally harms turtles. However, we are constantly educating the fishing community and others to take special care of deep-sea turtles during the breeding season. We are also educating them about the use of turtle exclusion devices. Last year, we delivered about 25,000 hatchlings through our hatcheries. released into the sea, achieved a success rate of over 95%,” said Mr. Venkatesh. Hindu sunday

Traditional activities lasting five months include hatchery construction, egg collection, monitoring, hatchery maintenance and chick (turtle) hatching.

“One egg takes 40-45 days to hatch. A mother turtle lays at least 100 eggs. It is a continuous process from December-January to May,” said Mr. Venkatesh.

Olive ridley turtles get their name from the color of their shells, which are brown at first, but turn olive green as they mature. A female turtle can nest three times a year.