As many as 247 hatchlings of Olive Ridley turtles were released into the sea at RK Beach in Visakhapatnam by the guards of Forest Department and volunteers in the early hours of Thursday.
There are 138 eggs in the hatchery at RK Beach, which is one among the five being managed by the forest officials along the coastline in Visakhapatnam district.
Each hatchery is guarded by five people from the fishing community, who have been trained by the Forest Department.
The forest officials said that the Visakhapatnam coast had seen higher nesting sites of Olive Ridleys this year. The department is hopeful of releasing the highest numbers of hatchlings in a season by the May-end. “Since January, 7,143 eggs have been collected and kept in hatcheries, which is significantly higher than what was seen the corresponding period last year. The nesting season is at its peak now. We expect the figures to go up by May,” said District Forest Officer Ananth Shankar.
Low impact of cyclones on Visakhapatnam coast might be among the reasons for high nesting this year. However, more study should be done on this, he added.
IUCN Red List
Listed as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red list, the Oliver Ridley project in Visakhapatam district is funded by the NTPC - Simhadri.
This year, nesting sites of green sea turtle and hawksbill turtle were also spotted along the coast. Both these species are listed as ‘endangered’ and ‘critically endangered’ respectively in the IUCN Red List.
The Forest Department and NGOs have been working for conservation of sea turtles by conducting awareness drives for fishermen communities.
