RAMANATHAPURAM: The annual turtle hatching season ended in Ramanathapuram with over 27,000 turtle eggs collected in the district this season.
Forest department officials said, out of the 27,000 turtle eggs, 21,000 were collected from Mandabam range. So far, about 18,000 hatchlings from this division have been released into the sea. Remaining eggs are in the hatcheries and will be released after they are hatch.
Although, the success rate has increased above 90% in all ranges, egg collection faced a slight dip compared to previous year, where a total of 28,000 eggs were collected in the division in 2024.
Several measures have been taken including installing shade facilities in hatcheries to prevent the eggs from getting exposed to the increasing summer heat. Awareness programmes are also being held for fishermen to avoid movement in the shores to prevent disturbance for the turtles. Forest department officials confirmed that no deaths were reported in the division.
Based on the previous year’s data, (2021 - 2022) the forest department collected as many as 24,391 eggs off the coast and over 23,617 hatchlings were released into the sea. Between 2022 - 2023, the department collected 24,005 eggs and released 23,048 hatchlings into the sea.
The annual turtle hatching season commences between December to April. During the period, sea turtles especially olive ridley sea turtles would arrive at the shores for laying eggs. The Ramanathapuram division consists of Mandabam, Keelakarai and Thoothukudi areas, with as many as 10 hatcheries.