Annual Olive Ridley nesting season begins along Chennai coast

Olive Ridley sea turtles nesting along Chennai and Chengalpattu coast; hatcheries set up; conservation efforts increased.

Olive Ridley sea turtles have begun nesting along the coast of Chennai and Chengalpattu. 

Around five nests have been found and moved to hatcheries so far, said E. Prasanth, Wildlife Warden, Chennai. The pace of turtle nesting is expected to pick up from next week, he added. Hatcheries have been set up in Besant Nagar, Pulicat, Injambakkam, and Kovalam. 

The Bay of Bengal coast is one of the major nesting sites for Olive Ridleys. While the famed mass nesting or arribadas occurs in Odisha coast, the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coasts are frequented by solitary female turtles. Each Olive Ridley turtle lays about 100 eggs, which take around 45 to 60 days to hatch. February is the peak season for turtle nesting. 

In 2022-23, as per data from the Forest Department, 487 nests were found and a total of 38,721 hatchlings were released into the sea from Chennai coast. Across Tamil Nadu, the number of hatcheries was increased from 22 in the previous year to 35 in 2023 in a bid to step up sea turtle conservation efforts.

Supraja Dharini, founder of the TREE Foundation, said there were a couple of instances of early nesting recorded by her team in the last week of December 2023 and around six nests have since been found along Neelankarai to Alamparai. Raising concerns over fishing gear and ghost nets, which are the primary reason for the death of Olive Ridley turtles, she said enforcement of rules pertaining to fishing gear in the sea must be strengthened.