NELLORE: The Forest Department in the district plans to release 20,000 Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings into the sea this year. As part of the plan, the department has set up 12 hatcheries along the coast, where the eggs will be collected and protected throughout the incubation period that ranges between 45 to 60 days.
The department has been collecting the eggs, which mother turtles lay in nests dug in the sand, to protect them from stray dogs, snakes and even humans. The district’s 169-km-long coastline covers 12 mandals. The hatcheries have been set up at Tupilipalem, Pamanchipalem, Srinivasasatram, Gummaladibba, Venkannapalem, Errannadibba, Utukuru, Ramachandrapuram, Kothur, Pathapalem, Kotha Satram villages in Nellore and Kavali range areas. Besides fencing the hatcheries, the department has also roped in watchers from local villages for a monthly pay of Rs 8,000.
Scores of turtles arrive here for nesting from December. Several locations in Nellore and Kavali divisions have been turtle destinations for several years. Meanwhile, local fishermen have been supporting the plan. They identify the turtle nests and inform the officials. The Forest Department has collected 1.80 lakh eggs and have released 1.50 lakh hatchlings into the sea over the past ten years.
“The collected eggs are kept in the hatcheries. After the incubation period, turtles are released into the sea. Killing of turtles is an offense,’ said the Ravindranath Reddy, DFO, Sullurpeta. Olive Ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea), also known as Pacific Ridley sea turtles, are listed as ‘vulnerable’ under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list. They are known for their behaviour synchronised nesting in mass numbers called ‘arribadas.’