NGT issues notice to Andhra govt. on Olive Ridley turtle deaths, orders T.N. to submit trawler information

Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department faces challenges enforcing Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in fishing nets, impacting Olive Ridley turtles.

The Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department has informed the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that enforcing the use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in fishing nets was not currently feasible owing to their their unavailability, and the need to have in place a standardised design. 

This was informed through a report, submitted in a suo motu case taken up by the Bench – led by Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati – following the high mortality of Olive Ridley turtles along the Chennai and Chengalpattu coasts.

A 2015 Government Order (G.O.) by the Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and the Fisheries Department mandated that all trawl nets be fitted with TEDs during the nesting season of turtles from November to April. However, the Fisheries Department’s report explained that owing to the lack of TEDs, uncertain results, and the need for a finalised design, it was not feasible to enforce the rule until a standardised TED was approved.

Additionally, a 2016 G.O. barred mechanised fishing vessels and motorised boats from fishing within five nautical miles of sea turtle nesting sites during the breeding season in Tamil Nadu. However, the Fisheries Department’s report contradicts this, and any necessary trial could have been completed since the G.O.s were issued in 2015 and 2016, the Bench said.

The Bench further noted that while reports of the Fisheries Department and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests highlighted awareness programs in coastal districts, only 24 fishing boats in Chennai were charged for not using TEDs despite allegations of non-compliance with the Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulation Act over fishing within five nautical miles.

“We are pained to say that despite the passage of more than 10 days, even in an alarming situation, the government has not stepped in to stop the mass mortality or identify the reason for the same..,” the Bench said, adding that the departments concerned should have stepped in first to curb the mass mortality of the turtles, and then proceed with the prosecution.

Despite media reports suggesting that autopsies were conducted, no such reports have been provided, the Bench said. It had also been speculated that the turtle carcasses may have drifted from the Andhra Pradesh coast. To clarify, the Bench directed the Fisheries Department and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of Andhra Pradesh to submit their report by February 7, 2025.