Dead Olive Ridleys wash up on Vizag beaches

Dead Olive Ridley turtles continue to wash up on Visakhapatnam beaches due to fishing trawling and pollution.

Dead Olive Ridley turtles continue to wash up on the beaches of Visakhapatnam coast in this current breeding season. Visitors have been finding carcasses of turtle on the shores of the city’s beaches for the past few days. The deaths are attributed to fishing trawling activities and pollution from industries among others, says environmentalists.

P. Mohan Krishna, a beach visitor who had come to the city from Tirupati with his family to watch the Adudam-Andhra Sports and Games finals here, said he was shocked to see an Olive Ridley’s carcass at Sagar Nagar beach recently.

“I am from Rayalaseema, so we love spending time at the seashore as we don’t have beaches in our region. I feel guilty for seeing a dead turtle here on the beach during my visit to the city to accompany my sibling who is participating in the Adudam-Andhra tournament. Why was the dead turtle left alone without burial?” Mr. Krishna, a B.Tech student said.

Not only the Sagar Nagar beach, but dead turtles are seen everywhere along the city beaches. Andhra Pradesh State Forest Department opened artificial turtle hatcheries as part of its conservative measures on behalf of the State government.

The Visakhapatnam district Forest Officer Anant Shankar said that four hatcheries (nesting points) have been started at RK Beach, Jodugullapalem, Thimmapuram and Pedda Nagamayyapalem within the city limits, for this year. All these points will be active from January to May. Every hatchery point will have a dedicated team to collect the eggs laid by the turtles and safely store them in the hatchery, he added.

Mr. Shankar admitted that he had come across dead turtles on city beaches. “Yes, there have been reports of dead turtles on city beaches. We have received information about six dead animals since January. This happens when turtles surface in the sea to breathe and then accidentally get caught by heavy fishing vessels during the trawling activities,” he said

“We also understand that no one here intentionally harms a turtle. However, we are sensitising the fishing community and others, continuously conducting awareness camps to pay special attention on the turtles in the deep sea during this special breeding season of turtles,” Mr. Anant Shankar told The Hindu on Monday.