KENDRAPARA: After much speculation and delay, a record number of Olive Ridley turtles arrived on March 25 at Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary for mass nesting.
“A record number of around 2,45,188 Olive Ridley sea turtles came ashore for mass nesting at the Nasi-1 and Nasi-2 islands of Gahirmatha marine sanctuary within Bhitarkanika National Park on March 25 night.
“We are delighted that for the first time on a single day more than 2 lakh turtles laid eggs at Gahirmatha. Last time around 3,49,694 turtles laid eggs from March 9 to March 23,” divisional forest officer of Bhitarkanika National Park, JD Pati said.
Nasi–1 and 2 islands of 5 km is an ideal nesting strip for the turtles because of no presence of predators and human habitation. The mass nesting would continue for a week, as the eggs normally take 45 days to hatch. Then the tiny hatchlings make their way to the sea, the forest officer explained.
The forest officer informed that about 30 forest officials including forest guards are guarding the beach to protect turtles and their eggs.
The state government imposed a ban order on fishing activities inside the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary from Nov 1 to May 31 to protect the turtles. Gahirmatha was declared a marine sanctuary covering 1435 square kilometers from Dhamra mouth to Hukitola island in 1997 by the government.