Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

In News

• Recently, the Odisha government has banned fishing around olive ridley turtles’ mass nesting sites.

About

• 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.

Source: DTE