"Commercial fishing took a toll on turtle population": Activists grouse

CHENNAI: Ever since the commercial fishing activities increased in Chennai city, the turtle population has drastically declined in the past few years, according to activists.

Environmental activists stated that earlier over 100 nesting would be found within a kilometre, whereas now finding 10 nesting has become difficult.

Since the 1970s there has been a 90 percent reduction in nesting numbers of the Olive Ridley turtle. With an understanding that the destruction of ecosystems by coastal communities, caused mainly by illiteracy and poverty, is a serious problem for all endangered marine life and has contributed to the decline in sea turtle numbers.

“Female sea turtles are the only marine species that come ashore to lay nests and truly are the connection between the land and the ocean. It is during this time that breeding turtles become very vulnerable due to the high threat of interactions with commercial and artisanal fishers and their gear. A high number of dead and live stranded adult olive ridleys are recorded along the east coast between January and March each year, ” said Dr Supraja Dharini, founder of Tree Foundation.

Tree Foundation established community-based sea turtle conservation programs to educate and engage marginalized artisanal fishing communities from many villages along the east coast of India in Tamil Nadu initially and subsequently Andhra Pradesh and Odisha protecting nearly 700kms of nesting habitat coastline.

Earlier, environmentalists found 100 nesting per kilometre, whereas after the NGO formed in 2002, we hardly find 10-11 nesting per kilometre in the seashore. Sea turtles have a very high mortality rate in their early years with only 1 in 1000 hatchlings reaching reproductive adulthood according to many scientists.

Experts stated that as turtles are air breathing reptiles, they need to come out the sea, during that time they get caught in the fishing net. They would drown and die. To reduce the mortality of turtles coming to nest, and to protect nesting sites and eggs. So, they create awareness among the fishermen to save the turtles and minimize accidental catch of sea turtles.

“With increase in encroachments near the beach areas in the city in the last few years, which is one of the major reasons for the decline in turtle population. Too much of lights and sound near the sea affects the turtle visiting the sea for depositing the eggs, ” said a marine expert.

He added that during the lockdown there was decrease in the fishing activity, so it helped for the olive ridley turtles to survive.