KANNIYAKUMARI: As many as 6,723 Olive Ridley Sea Turtle hatchlings have been safely released back into the sea during the 2022-23 season, said Kanniyakumari District Forest Officer M Ilayaraja. He stated the number of eggs collected were 67% higher than that of last year and the hatchling releases saw an increase of 78%.
"Last year, 5,993 eggs were collected and 3,778 hatchlings were released. This year, 10,032 eggs were collected and 6,723 hatchlings have been released into the sea. Most of the eggs were collected from Dwarakapathi coast," he added.
Ilayaraja said the conservation team, in addition to monitoring and protecting the nests, focused on understanding the various factors that influence the nesting process, such as temperature and the availability of suitable nesting beaches.
"The research conducted during the year provided valuable insights into the impact of sea erosion on nesting locations. Only nine out of 38 nesting locations in Velimalai range remained unaffected by water breaches. 3,190 eggs in 29 nests were at risk. Without the intervention of the dedicated conservation team, these nests would have been lost to the sea," he told TNIE.
Vinod Sadhasivan, Kanniyakumari Nature Foundation (KNF) founder said the olive ridley sea turtle conservation efforts have produced several positive outcomes. "Throughout the nesting season, a total of 95 nests were collected, monitored and protected so as to ensure the well-being of the eggs.
The average duration of incubation was 48 days. By nurturing and protecting nesting sites, along with raising awareness about the species' conservation and mitigating threats such as sea erosion, we can help the species survive," he added.
Explaining how he and other volunteers collected the eggs at Thenpar beach and Lemur beach, P Balakrishnan, eco club coordinator of government higher secondary school at Monikattipottal, said the eggs were collected during night and handed over to the forest department's hatchery in the morning. "In order to create awareness, sand sculptures were made at the beaches and students and teachers were asked to witness the release of sea turtles," he added.