KARAIKAL: The carcass of over 50 Olive Ridley turtles bearing gruesome injuries were found ashore along Pattinacherry of TR Pattinam in Karaikal over the past three days. The turtles are suspected to have been killed due to unsustainable fishing practices when they were swimming towards the shore for nesting.
Karaikal Deputy Conservator of Forests N Viji inspected the carcasses on Monday. Each carcass weighed around 40kg and measured around 75cm.
While the injuries indicate impact from mechanised boat propellers, trawl nets and abandoned ghost nets, officials said the findings can be confirmed only after postmortem examination and lab analyses.
“We conducted autopsy on the carcasses with the aid of veterinarians and collected for lab analysis. We are disposing of the carcasses as per standard operating procedures,” said P Arulrajan, conservator of forests, Puducherry.
It may be noted that Olive Ridley turtles are classified ‘vulnerable species’ under the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). During the period from December to May, the pregnant turtles swim towards the south Indian coastline for nesting.
Dr Supraja Dharini, chairperson of Tree Foundation, an NGO, said, “The turtle casualties in Karaikal are clearly due to asphyxiation and injuries caused by illegal nets such as squid and ray nets. Some of them may have died due to illegal practices like fishing activity close to shore.”
Neenu Purushothaman, project manager of Karaikal-based Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NE&WS), said, “We have been sensitising fisherfolk in Karaikal to the importance of conservation of Olive Ridley turtles over the past year. We are planning to reach out to more this year.”