NAGAPATTINAM: "Some carcasses have injuries suggesting that they might have been hit by boat
propellers. Many do not have such marks, suggesting that they might have died owing to asphyxiation. We carry the carcasses of the decomposed turtles to interior places for burial, while veterinarians from the Animal Husbandry Department perform an autopsy on the others before burying them," a Forest
Department staff tells TNIE.
In what has been a disturbing incident, 31 carcasses of Olive Ridley turtles have washed ashore in the past three weeks in Nagapattinam district. Olive Ridleys are classified as 'vulnerable species' under the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Sources say most of them were adult females and were found along the shores of villages such as Periyakuthagai, Pushpavanam, Arukatuthurai, Manian Theevu and Kodiyakarai in Vedaranyam block. "We are writing to the district administration about the situation in Vedaranyam range. We guess they might have died owing
to the use of destructive fishing nets," says S Kalanidhi, District Forest Officer, Nagapattinam.
There are three forest ranges in the integrated Nagapattinam district -- Sirkazhi, Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam. Around 2,000 eggs have been collected in Sirkazhi range, 500 in Nagapattinam range, but none in Vedaranyam range. This, according to experts, suggests that all the turtles which were swimming towards Vedaranyam have died.
Why it is happening?
Vedarnyam is located close to the Palk Strait, a sea passage between central-east of Tamil Nadu and north-west Sri Lanka. The passage is calmer from November to February, when compared with the rest of the State, which is prone to natural calamities. Fishermen from Nagapattinam and Karaikal districts fancy fishing in the passage in these months, head south-east and crowd the Palk Strait in
mechanised and fibreglass boats. The nets spread on these waters make it difficult for the turtles to swim to their destinations.
"Fishermen usually release the turtles into the water when they pull back the nets into the boat. Cutting of nets will cost us a lot of money. Some turtles die before we untangle the nets. Our men do not bring the carcases ashore," says S Thangamani, a fisher from Nagapattinam. He also adds that fishermen have
started to head east after the recent conflict with Sri Lanka.
Is it the first time?
This is not the first time the district is seeing so many dead turtles along the shore. Many carcasses were found on the shores between Nagapattinam and Kodiyakarai during the last nesting season -- December 2018 to March 2019. No concrete action was taken in the erstwhile Nagapattinam district, which had the
the longest shoreline in Tamil Nadu, sources say.
Nagapattinam district also used to be a region where the most number of eggs used to be collected.
Supraja Dharini, coordinator of Tree Foundation and activist for endangered wildlife, says, "Fishermen want to capitalise on the demand for squid and prawn. Turtles have a hard time to escape the fishing nets spread on these waters. Fishermen are more worried about their livelihood. But, the ocean and other marine creatures have to survive, as each and every species has a role to play in maintaining ecology. Ignorance in this connection is leading to the collapse of ecosystem."
Site fidelity
Site fidelity or 'Philopatry' is the tendency of an organism to stick and return to its natural habitat. It is a belief that Olive Ridleys return to nest in a place they were born after seven to 15 years.
This leads to a guess that the turtles were swimming towards Vedaranyam and got killed. No eggs have been collected in Vedaranyam. Olive Ridley turtles are capable of holding their breath for about 45 to 50 minutes underwater. They surface at regular intervals to inhale oxygen before plunging into the sea again.
Bivash Pandav, one of India's leading experts, says, "Olive Ridleys have strong site fidelity. When the turtles get stuck in nets, they cannot surface properly. They get stressed, lose consciousness, asphyxiate and die. The number of carcasses washed ashore indicate rampant use of destructive nets."
How to prevent deaths?
Though Turtle Excluder Devices can help turtles to escape trawler nets, Nagapattinam fishermen have little idea about them.
R Amal Xavier, joint director of Fisheries Department in Nagapattinam, says, "It is challenging to promote such devices as the fishermen are worried about their catch. They fear they might lose their catch when they install such devices in their boats. We are planning to install a device in one boat and plan to expand it if it is successful."
Permanent solution?
Experts, however, say Odisha government bans fishing along a stretch of about 20 km for seven months a year. Such a step is needed here. Bivash Pandav, Director of Bombay Natural History Society, says, "The only way to stop these mass killings is to ban fishing in a turtle congregation range for a specific period of time during their nesting season every year."
Experts believe the death toll might cross 100 in the next two months in Nagapattinam district alone, going by the average number of deaths reported each day