Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

In News

• As a record number of 4.92 lakh Olive Ridley turtles have crawled to the Rushikulya coast in Odisha.
  • This is the highest nesting which has broken all records for the coast

About Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

• Scientific name: Lepidochelys olivacea
• Also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle.
• Location: Found in warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
• Conservation Status 
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
  • CITES: Appendix I 
• Features: 
  • They are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
  • Known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs. 
  • These are carnivores and feed mainly on jellyfish, shrimp etc. 
• Major nesting sites: 
  • Rushikulya rookery coast (Odisha), 
  • Gahirmatha beach (Bhitarkanika National park) and
  • Mouth of the Debi River.
• Threats:
  • For Adults: Dense fishing, especially ocean-going trawlers, mechanised fishing boats and gill-netters.
  • For Eggs: Heavy predation of eggs, indiscriminate fishing with trawlers and gill nets, and beach soil erosion.
• Government Efforts: 
  • Making mandatory use of Turtle Excluder Devices, a net specially designed to allow them to escape during the catch.
  • ‘Operation Oliva’ Exercise of Coast guard.

• Every year, the Indian Coast Guard’s “Operation Olivia”, initiated in the early 1980s, helps protect Olive Ridley turtles as they congregate along the Odisha coast for breeding and nesting from November to December.

Source:TH