Paradip coastline in Odisha turns mass graveyard for Olive Ridleys

Hundreds of Olive Ridley turtle carcasses can now be seen lying dispersed along the beaches of Sandhkuda, Bandar, Jatadhari Tanda, Ramatara and Hwakhana.
Olive Ridley carcass on Paradip beach (File Photo I EPS)
Olive Ridley carcass on Paradip beach (File Photo I EPS)

PARADIP: The beaches on the Paradip sea coast have turned into mass graveyards for Olive Ridley turtles due to illegal fishing using giant trawlers, pollution and other reasons. Though the official figure of turtle death is 199, it would touch more than 500 as many cases go unreported.

Hundreds of Olive Ridley turtle carcasses can now be seen lying dispersed along the beaches of Sandhkuda, Bandar, Jatadhari Tanda, Ramatara and Hwakhana. The carcasses have created an unhygienic condition due to the emission of bad odour.

Forest officials claim that the turtle deaths at the Paradip coast are due to sickness and injury on their bodies. "We are keeping a strict vigil on trawler fishing. So there is little chance of death of turtles on account of illegal fishing. The ground situation is something different and very grim."

The wildlife activists argue that turtles are dying due to uninterrupted trawling in the sea off the Paradip coast which has been declared a marine sanctuary. Apart from fishing nets,  Olive Ridleys also come under attack from the stray dogs.

Prafulla Patnaik , Director of Nature Drive Trust of India, an NGO which has been pressed into service for the protection of nature, said turtles are killed when they are trapped and get entangled in the nets of mechanized fishing vessels during the mating season from December to March. "Every day, turtles are killed at the Devi river mouth, though trawling was prohibited within 20 kms off the coastline. We have sought the intervention of higher officials to check illegal fishing but the situation has not improved," he said.

Turtle deaths have also raised questions on the role of Forest and Fishery department officials and the Coast Guard which has pressed into service a Dornier aircraft to keep a tab on illegal fishing. 

The Olive Ridleys visiting the Paradip coast are also threatened by the release of effluents by industries and other marine pollution. Even fishes, prawns and crabs are falling victims to the unchecked pollution.

Forest Ranger, Kujang, Pratap Mohanty admitted that as many as 199 turtles including 164 female have died on the Paradip coast by January 30. But the turtles died of injury, sickness, pollution and other causes. “We have sent the carcasses of dead turtles for postmortem. The cause of death will be ascertained after obtaining a postmortem report.”

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