Thousands of turtles lay eggs, by this time every year, but this season has been different, raising concerns among experts. Some worried wildlife lovers blamed the constant erosion along the length of the beach for the missing 'arribada', the Spanish term for mass nesting, in the world's largest-known rookery, illegal fishing, illumination of the missile test range at the Wheeler Island near the Nasi 1 and Nasi 2 islands as the main reasons behind the trend.

However, Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, the divisional forest officer at Bhitarkanika National Park, said, "It is too early to conclude that turtles will skip mass-nesting this year. A large number of turtles has gathered in the sea near Gahiramath and we are hopeful they will laying eggs soon."

Researchers feared that the turtles might skip the Gahiramatha beach this year because of climate change. The sandy beach once considered the favourite site by the turtles for nesting has undergone rapid topographical changes over the past couple of years.

Environmentalists expressed concerns over the damage of nesting sites because of sea erosion. In 1997, 1998 and 2002, the turtles skipped the annual ritual and there was no mass nesting at all.

"The forest officials arrested about 300 fishermen and seized about 45 boats and trawlers in Gahiramatha on charges of illegal fishing. The government banned fishing between November 1 and May 31 in the marine sanctuary to protect the turtles," Mohapatra said.

On the other hand, about two lakh turtles laid eggs at Rushikulya beach of Ganjam district from February 11-16.