Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Conservation

Why in News?

Wildlife Institute of India (WII) conducting a feasibility study on launching turtle tourism in Kerala.

It is one of the smallest and most abundant sea turtles, closely resembles the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, the other smallest sea turtle species.
Scientific Name – Lepidochelys olivacea.
Genus – Lepidochelys.
Habitat – Olive Ridley turtles inhabit warm tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean.
They are primarily pelagic (open-ocean dwellers) but forage in coastal bays and estuaries and return to sandy beaches for nesting.

Global Distribution

Indian Distribution (Major)

Indian Distribution (Others)

Major Mass Nesting (Arribada) Sites - Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, West Africa, South America.

India hosts the largest mass nesting populations in the world, mainly along the coast of Odisha.

Major Mass Nesting Sites

Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary – largest rookery of Olive Ridley turtles in the world
Rushikulya River Mouth
Devi River Mouth

East Coast:

West Bengal (Lothian Island), Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu.

West Coast:

Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala

Islands:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep

Rookery is a breeding or nesting ground where large numbers of animals gather to reproduce, commonly used for turtle nesting beaches.

Nesting –They exhibit a unique mass nesting behaviour known as Arribada Nesting (Spanish for “arrival”).
Thousands of females come ashore simultaneously to lay eggs.
This behaviour is found only in turtles of the Genus Lepidochelys.
Many females also practice solitary nesting.
These turtles undertake long-distance migrations between feeding grounds and nesting beaches.
- Nesting Season in India - November – May, Peak mass nesting: (February – March)
Morphology – Shell - Heart-shaped olive-green carapace,
Male turtles can be identified by longer tails extending beyond the shell (carapace).
Diet – They are omnivorous, feeding on Algae, crustaceans, mollusks, tunicates, jellyfish.
Major Threats - Bycatch in fishing gear, Illegal harvesting of eggs and turtles, Marine pollution and plastic debris, Habitat loss and coastal development, Predation of eggs and hatchlings, Vessel strikes.
Conservation Status – IUCN – Vulnerable.
CITES - Appendix I (international trade prohibited).
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 – Schedule I.
Bio Indicator Species –Population trends serve as indicators of ocean health and marine ecosystem changes.

Quick facts

Operation Olivia – Conducted by the Indian Coast Guard.
Protects them during nesting season along the Odisha coast.
Focuses on preventing illegal fishing and protecting nesting sites.
Turtle Excluder Device – It is fitted in trawl fishing nets to allow trapped turtles to escape while retaining fish catch. Helps reduce accidental bycatch.
Promoted in turtle nesting regions of India.

Reference

New Indian Express | Olive Ridley Turtles