This particular marine turtle called Olive Ridley for its olive colour heart shaped shell is the smallest of sea turtles. Inhabiting tropical and subtropical coastal bays of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, this marine species chooses specific stretches of sea beaches in Odisha for annual aggregation and mass nesting.

“Odisha’s beaches are special to these sea turtles for many reasons like, the size of the sand grains that offers an opportunity to the turtle to dig a hole on the beach and lay eggs; the unique coastal vegetation that offers ample amount of food to thousands of mother turtles and millions of their hatchlings; the climatic condition with a proper balance of temperature and moisture for the hatchlings to emerge from the eggs”, says noted wildlife scientist Dr. Chandra Sekhar Kar of Odisha Wildlife Department.

 

The Olive Ridley turtles, the marine species that has offered Odisha a special place in the world wildlife map, would reject its coasts if they remain unsuitable for their activities.

As, this time, the mating activities have been spotted in the sea near three major rookeries like Rushikulya river mouth, Devi river mouth and Gahirmatha river mouth, the annual activity of mass nesting is expected to go well this year. But the trend of sea erosion in many points of the Odishan coastline has raised concerns about the future of the tradition of mass nesting in the Odisha coast. Of further concern is that the erosion of beaches has been observed in places that are close to all three rookeries!

The first known rookery in Odisha is Gahirmatha river mouth in the northern coast of Odisha that is now between two major ports at Dhamra and Paradip. Lakhs of marine turtles visit this place every year to nest on the beach of Gahirmatha. “Erosion of the beach adjacent to the river mouth at an alarming rate has forced the visiting turtles to nest at Nasi, a few kilometres away from the traditional nesting site at Gahirmatha,” says Jivan Das, Secretary of People for Animal’s Odisha Chapter adding that, “Beaches where turtles in thousands perform the annual mass nesting are getting squeezed day by day. If this continues to be the trend along the Odisha coast, the turtles may be forced to abandon the beaches of Odisha and look for other destinations.”

As the rise in sea level is believed to be a result of global warming and climate change, it is thus believed to be the primary reason of the erosion at Gahirmatha, “The break waters of Paradip Port is (believed to be) the other reason for it. Unfortunately, to accelerate the process of erosion and push the nesting beach to further risk of being rejected by the marine turtles another major port has started operating along Dhamra river mouth at a distance of just 15 kilometres northwards,” says Jivan Das.

A little southward, the situation is no better for the marine turtles visiting the coasts near Devi river mouth at Astarang in Puri district. The new mouth which opened up with the super cyclone of 1999 has sped up the process of erosion in the coastal areas near Astarang. “In fact, the erosion is taking place in the nesting beaches near Devi river mouth and the beach is getting harder with the sand layer getting thinner,” observes Bichitrananda Biswal of Sea Turtles Action Programme. A thin layer of sand will deny the turtles an opportunity to dig a hole that can carry at least 100 eggs of golf ball size. While the nesting beaches are getting limited, the reef like sand walls just on the sea coast may not attract the turtles to these beaches as the female turtles would find it difficult to climb the sand walls to lay eggs.

While the vulnerability of the particular coast to climate change impact has increased to an alarming degree and the unique beach that attracts thousands of turtles to nest on it is losing its area to the sea, the Odisha Government’s plan for a minor port on Devi river mouth is just adding further risks to the beach that has been a popular rookery for the Olive Ridley sea turtles.

Even worse is the condition of the other nesting ground at Rushikulya river mouth that has been the second largest turtle rookery in the state of Odisha, or India one can say as Odisha is the only state to be blessed with nesting grounds for Olive Ridley turtles.

 

Hatchlings weight: 28 g Length: 22-31 inches for nesting females; Hatchlings are about: 1.5 inches Appearance: Olive/ grayish-green (darker in the Atlantic than in the Pacific) with a heart-shaped top shell (carapace) with 5-9 pairs of costal “scutes” with 1-2 claws on their flippers; hatchlings emerge mostly black with a greenish hue on the sides Lifespan: Unknown, but sexual maturity occurs at about 15 years old Diet: Algae, lobster, crabs, tunicates, mollusks, shrimp, and fish Behavior: One of the most extraordinary nesting habits in the natural world, vast numbers of Olive Ridley turtles come ashore and nest in what is known as an ‘Arribada’; females nest every year, once or twice a season, laying clutches of approximately 100 eggs Population: The olive ridley is considered the most abundant sea turtle in the world, with an estimated 800,000 nesting females annually. Threats Collection of turtle eggs (historical, though continued in some parts of the world) Killing turtles (historical, though continued in some parts of the world) Incidental captures in fishing gear, primarily in longlines, but also in trawls, gill nets, purse seines, and hook and line, specifically in Central America and the Indian Ocean

With the river mouth shifting its course northwards, rapid erosion of the beach has taken place since 2007 and squeezed the space where turtles used to lay eggs from 4.5 kilometres to 200 meters only! “We don’t know how many of the turtles can use this limited space for their nesting activity. Even though there is some space to the south of the mouth, we don’t know if the turtles are going to use that space because, so far, the turtles have never used that part,” says Rabindra Nath Sahu, Secretary of Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee. “Climate change does not only compress the beach but also destroys the coastal ecosystem that offers plenty of food to the mother turtles and their millions of hatchlings,” adds Rabindra.

“Wherever the sea coast is damaged, a proper beach is not available. If the beach is confined and turtles do not find it conducive to lay eggs, they will move from there. Even if new mouths are opened and erosion takes place as it happened with the beach near Gopalpur, the turtles may not find the space that they found last year,” said J. D. Sharma, the PDDF and Chief Wildlife Warden of Odisha.

Apart from natural reasons, the nesting ground at Rushikulya river mouth is also threatened by the sea walls of the nearby Gopalpur Port. Environmentalists and wildlife lovers consider the two sea walls of the Port as the reason of rapid erosion that washed away a major part of the rookery. “It’s unfortunate that the Port is planning another sea wall that would result in the little space, now available to the turtles being submerged,” says Rabindra Nath Sahu condemning the government for its faulty development policies that act as a catalyst in destroying the balance of nature and placing human life, wildlife and the total coastal ecosystem in a position of extreme vulnerability.

If the coastal erosion continues at the pace it is observed across the coastline of Odisha, there will be no space available to these marine turtles for their nesting activity. In such a situation, it is not illogical to sum up that the spectacular view of turtles mating on the sea surface and nesting along the Odisha coast would just become a part of history in a few years’ time. The Olive Ridley turtles, the marine species that has offered Odisha a special place in the world wildlife map, would reject its coasts if they remain unsuitable for their activities. It’s high-time for the government and agencies to work to minimize the impact of climate change in the coastline and save the beaches with all their uniqueness to attract lakhs of sea turtles for mating and nesting.

Basudev Mahapatra