RAMANATHAPURAM: The annual turtle hatching season started on the coasts of Ramanathapuram after a month’s delay. The forest department is carrying out work at hatcheries along with creating awareness among the people.
The turtle hatching season usually commences in December and goes on till June every year. Olive ridley turtles play a significant role in balancing marine ecosystems, especially in containing the number of jellyfish in the sea.
Last season, about 24,000 eggs were collected and distributed across 10 operational hatcheries. Following the culmination of the process, 23,048 hatchlings (96.01% survival rate) were released into the sea from the coast of Ramanathapuram. So far in January 2024, teams from the forest department have spotted two nests on the shores and sent the eggs to the hatchery.
While forest department officials are not able to attribute the delay this season to any particular cause, Wildlife Warden of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Park Bagan Jagadish Sudhakar said, “The delay in beginning the season may have been the result of unseasonal rain/flood and cyclonic conditions that occurred in December 2023.”
Sudhakar added that arrangements have been made to secure over 90% success rate in the hatching process. “Special awareness advisory has been issued to the fishermen across Ramanathapuram coastal range to carry out the fishing process without affecting the turtles, which will be arriving on the shores for the hatching season,” he added. Sudhakar said the forest department will also be conducting initiatives like ‘Turtle Walk’ to spread awareness about the turtles.