VISAKHAPATNAM: As enforcing a total ban on fishing or compelling all fishermen to use Turtle Excluder Devices (TED) in their nets is not possible, there is a need to look for an alternative approach to prevent Olive Ridley turtle deaths, said experts at a three-day turtle conservation workshop on 'Increased Mortalities of Endangered Olive RidleyTurtles along the East Coast of India' being held at Rushikonda.
Stakeholders from NGOs and various government departments of AP, Odisha and the Centre, including the forestry and fisheries departments, UNDP, Blue Cross, Navy, Coast Guard and Egree Foundation are attending this conference.
"The lives of thousands of Olive Ridley turtles can be saved by identifying and protecting the areas they congregate along the coast for breeding and nesting between November and February. Their reproductive patch extends to a few square kilometres on the coasts and fisherfolk can be sensitised not to fish in waters within five kilometres from the coast parallel to those few congregation zones (say a total of 55-60 square kilometres on the coasts) but go deeper into the sea," said Bivash Pandav, an official from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.
"Another simple preservation measure is checking photo or light pollution, which is a big threat to the hatchlings. Lights from ports and commercial establishments near the beach such as hotels and resorts disorient the hatchlings due to which they keep struggling on and near the beach, falling prey to predators.
Therefore during the breeding months, low intensity lights should be used so that the hatchlings are not disoriented," added Pandav.
According to BC Choudhury, adviser, Wildlife Trust of India, the turtles return back after around 25 years to the same area of their birth to lay eggs which is why all the nesting sites identified now should be preserved and handed over to the next generation.
"Emerging ports every few kilometres on the seacoast, offshore oil and mineral exploration, dredging, release of hot water in the sea, climate changes leading to changes in coastal geomorphology, diseases of turtles are other threats whose impact need to be studied in detail. There's also a need to develop an action plan for AP," he said.
Earlier at the inaugural, A V Joseph, principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF), AP, pointed out that 40% of human population globally stays in the coastal belt and depends on marine ecology. Since, fishing can't be stopped, there is a need for sustainable activities and conservation of turtle congregating sites through a collaborative approach by all stakeholders. Chief guest and chairperson on NGO Blue Cross, Amala Akkineni, asked people to opt for vegetarian food as activities like fishing are posing a major threat to the turtle population.
