VISAKHAPATNAM : The world’s largest turtle species, the Leatherback sea turtle, made a rare appearance off Visakhapatnam coast after seven years. On June 25, a group of fishermen at Thantadhi Beach discovered the turtle entangled in a rope and acted swiftly. They rescued and released it back into the sea. The sighting of the Leatherback turtle gained widespread attention after wildlife conservationist Srikanth Mannepuri shared the incident on social media platforms.
“Although the presence of Leatherback turtles is not uncommon in our area, sighting them along the coast is rare. Unlike other species, such as Olive Ridley, Leatherback turtles do not typically come to the coast for breeding. Instead, they visit it solely for feeding,” explained Sri Chakra Pranav, a marine biologist.
The Leatherback turtles lack a bony shell; instead, their carapace is covered by oily flesh and flexible, leather-like skin, for which they are named.
In India, they are primarily found in Little Andaman Island in the Andaman group and Little Nicobar Island and Great Nicobar Island in the Nicobar group. “They are sighted along the coasts primarily when they are injured or entangled in fishing nets,” he added.
Rare turtles susceptible to plastic waste
“Usually our fishermen do not catch fish that are not useful to them. After various awareness campaigns by our forest department, the fishermen release turtles and other large fish that are not meant for consumption, rescuing and releasing them safely into the waters,” he added.
Although fishermen often find them in our waters while fishing, the last sighting of a Leatherback turtle on the Visakhapatnam coast was recorded at the Mutyalammapalem Beach in 2016.
Leatherback turtles are federally listed as endangered. Their biggest threats are the results of human activity, and they are also susceptible to marine pollution and debris, sometimes plastic litter.