NGT issues notice over Olive Ridley turtle deaths in Chennai

The death toll has now surpassed 500, with 30 additional carcasses washed ashore between Marina Beach and Kovalam.
NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of the unusual deaths of Olive Ridley turtles along Chennai's beaches.
NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of the unusual deaths of Olive Ridley turtles along Chennai's beaches.(Photo | Express)
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CHENNAI: The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of the unusual deaths of Olive Ridley turtles along Chennai's beaches. The tribunal issued notices to the State fisheries and forest departments, following an article in The New Indian Express.

The death toll has now surpassed 500, with 30 additional carcasses washed ashore between Marina Beach and Kovalam. A TNIE reporter visited Injambakkam early on Friday, where they observed 11 dead turtles, some of which were being eaten by stray dogs before being buried by members of the Tree Foundation’s Sea Turtle Protection Force (STPF).

Chennai Wildlife Warden Manish Meena stated that all possible measures are being taken to minimise the damage. Awareness programmes were conducted at Kovalam and Kalpakkam, educating fishermen on sustainable fishing gear.

"Most of the carcasses washed ashore are completely decomposed. We managed to find a few relatively fresh ones, and Madras Veterinary College is conducting the post-mortem," he added.

It is suspected that the deaths occurred somewhere between Kasimedu and the southern Andhra coast. A fisherman working on a trawler in Kasimedu, who wished to remain anonymous, explained that rough sea conditions forced many vessels to fish within 3-5 nautical miles.

NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of the unusual deaths of Olive Ridley turtles along Chennai's beaches.
50 more Olive Ridleys die in one night in Chennai, death toll may soon hit 500

"We prefer fishing near Pulicat and southern Andhra due to clearer water and better catches. The coastal waters near Kovalam, Thiruvanmiyur, and Anna Memorial are filled with garbage," he said.

Notably, none of the trawler fishing nets in Tamil Nadu are equipped with Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs), despite a Madras High Court ruling made almost ten years ago. The court had registered a suo motu case in 2015 following a similar mass mortality of turtles in Chennai.

According to the fisheries department's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), a ban is imposed on fishing by mechanised vessels, motorised country crafts, and those using mechanised fishing techniques within a 5-nautical-mile radius of potential nesting and breeding areas for sea turtles (i.e., January to April each year) in the coastal areas of Chennai, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, and Kanniyakumari districts. However, this ban has largely remained unenforced, despite the lapse of nearly eight years.

Supraja Dharani, the founder of the Tree Foundation, emphasised the need for enforcement: "If the fisheries department can strictly enforce the 5-nautical-mile ban and equip all trawler nets with TEDs, the majority of the problem can be solved. The government should engage with the trawler vessel associations constructively and harmoniously."

(Read more on the issue in Xplore Environment Page)

NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of the unusual deaths of Olive Ridley turtles along Chennai's beaches.
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