Odisha government gears up for safe nesting of Olive Ridley turtles

BHUBANESWAR: As the season for mass nesting of rare Olive Ridley turtles is round the corner, the state government has geared up for their safety.

Reviewing preparation by the forest, fisheries and animal resources departments for the mass nesting of the turtles here at the state secretariat, the chief secretary directed to ensure strict enforcement of the conservation rules.

It was decided that enforcement activities on sea would start from November 1 and would continue up to May, 2017. A central monitoring unit would be set up in the office of the principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF, wild life), said an official statement by the chief secretary’s office.

There would also be circle level monitoring mechanisms under the direct supervision of Regional Conservator of Forests (RCCF), Bhubaneswar, Berhampur and Baripada. They would coordinate with other law enforcing agencies and involve local NGOs in conservation activities.

For conservation of the turtle, the Coast Guard was requested to share real time intelligence inputs with these departments about any illegal fishing around the nesting sites on the sea during the nesting season.

The industries and ports along the coast were requested to adhere to the lighting regulations so that the turtles would arrive in large numbers for nesting. Nesting activities of the turtles and their mortality would be monitored through a web portal (manage.odishawildlife.org). Soon after mass nesting, the sites would be fenced to protect the nests and eggs, said the statement.

“Around 9.75 lakh olive ridley emerged from the sea to lay eggs along Odisha coast in 2016-17. Coordination mechanism among the concerned departments like coast guard, naval wing, integrated testing range, fisheries and animal resource department, police, various Port authorities and forest and environment department was worked out in the meeting,” Sandeep Tripathy PCCF, (Wild Life) told reporters after the meeting.

As there would be ban on fishing activities around the nesting sites during the period, the chief secretary asked the fisheries department to extend alternative livelihood supports for the fishermen during period. Wide awareness activities would be undertaken for the purpose.

It was also discussed in the meeting to establish a

Sea Turtle Research Center

along the coast of Gahirmatha in

Kendrapada

or

Rusikulya

in

Ganjam

to facilitate research activities on the rare turtles.