Nets hamper turtles reaching shores to lay eggs

About 30 Olive ridley turtle nests were found in Kerala's Kasargod beaches 18 years ago and the number has dropped to six this year, which is blamed on fishing nets that hamper the approach of the turtles to the shores.

Kasaragod: Olive ridley sea turtles, which were usually seen in the Kerala coasts during the annual nesting season, have turned up in few numbers this year.

The number of ridley sea turtles hauling up to the beach to nest and lay eggs along the shores in Kerala here has been dwindling over the years. This year, so far, only 6 turtle nests have been spotted along the shores of Kerala.

According to marine experts, most of the sea turtles die after being entangled in the plastic fishing nets abandoned after unscientific fishing in the sea. Some turtles also get mutilated and injured on their way to the nesting beaches after getting trapped in the ‘ghost nets’ in the sea. This nesting season of sea turtles is evaluated to be the weakest ever recorded so far owing to the human callousness and unscientific fishing techniques.

The dwindling number of nesting turtles along the Kerala shores every passing year indicates that the number of turtles being killed in man’s cruelties and carelessness has increased manifold. The nesting season of the olive ridley turtles is between September and March.

Eighteen years ago, as many as 30 turtle nests could be found in Kasaragod beaches alone in Kerala. While there were 15 turtle nests here in 2018, the numbers went down to 8 in 2019. Last year, there were only 7 turtle nests found along the beaches in Kasaragod district of Kerala.

This year, so far, only one nest could be found in Kasaragod. The turtle nest found at Thaikkadappuram in Kasaragod this season has about 150 eggs.

During the nesting period, the sea turtles cover miles through the sea and haul on to their nesting beaches. Typically, the nesting turtles find a spot on the beach, fling loose sand and dig up ‘body pits’ of about 1.5 feet depth. In the pit, the turtles make egg cavities and lay eggs. After covering the egg chamber securely with sand and concealing it using dry sand to protect the eggs from the predators, the turtles return to the sea leaving the eggs to hatch.

The eggs of olive ridley species of sea turtles found nesting on the shores of Kerala take about 40 to 60 days to hatch under natural circumstances. Even though the turtles reach out to the shore and lay eggs, there is a high chance of predators attack. Neithal, an NGO in Kasaragod, focussing on turtle conservation set up natural hatcheries at Thaikkadappuram.

The ‘Neithal’ volunteers dig nests for the eggs modelled on actual turtle nests and keep a vigil on them round the clock. In the hatcheries, the eggs are kept safe in places without bright sunlight and away from human beings and other predators, until they hatch. Later, the hatchlings are let out in the sea by the volunteers.