Tamil Nadu Forest Department sets up weather monitoring Olive Ridley hatcheries

Chennai Forest Department establishes climate-resilient hatcheries for Olive Ridley sea turtles to enhance survival of hatchlings.

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has set up ‘climate-resilient’ hatcheries for Olive Ridley sea turtles, which arrive at the coast to nest from January to April, to ensure better survival of the turtle hatchlings.

As many as 10 hatcheries — two each in Chennai and Nagapattinam, one each in Villupuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tirunelveli, Ramnad, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari — have been established at a total cost of ₹10 lakh. A government order issued in this regard on December 29, 2023 says that such hatcheries ensure optimal incubation conditions for eggs, and produce healthy and resilient hatchlings. 

Conservation efforts ramped up

“With cognisance of the effects of climate change on Olive Ridleys, we reached out to the Wildlife Institute of India (WIII) to strengthen our conservation efforts,” said Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary to Departments of Environment, Climate Change and Forests, explaining that there are two things that set these upgraded hatcheries from the normal ones. 

One, the hatcheries have been equipped to constantly monitor temperature through data loggers, which capture the weather conditions and display it in the form of a graph. This will be monitored by the District Forest Officers and other forest staff overseeing the hatchery. 

The other aspect of the hatcheries is that they are designed to be adaptable by adding a layer of roofing in the afternoons when the weather gets warmer. “These are some fundamental steps being taken now,” said Ms. Sahu. While hatcheries are usually temporarily set up during the annual nesting season, there could be a need for establishing semi-permanent ones, she added. 

Baseline data on hatching pattern