6,000 Olive Ridley hatchlings reach Ratnagiri waters

Mumbai: With the end of the turtle-hatching season, more than 6,000 olive ridley turtles hatchlings were released at shores of Ratnagiri district this year, according to the Maharashtra forest department.

Officials stated that this year, the shore saw a higher number of hatchlings of the endangered sea turtle as compared to 2018.

Around 6,675 olive ridley hatchlings were released into Ratnagiri waters in 2019. The season for hatching of the eggs of olive ridley turtles usually begin in late December and lasts till May. This year, around 12,365 eggs were recorded from a total of 135 nests.

“This year, more olive ridley hatchlings were released as there more nests were made by the females.  It could be due to proper care and timely monitoring by the forest department staff and local people that the beaches are more habitable for the creatures,” said Vijayraj Surve, divisional forest officer, Ratnagiri division.

“Apart from conservation practices, the ban on purse seine net fishing has played a major role in protecting the species,” said an official from the state forest department.

Around 1,036 turtle hatchlings were released into the water of Gaonkhadi shore in 2019 by NGO Nisarg Yatri, which assists the forest department in marine conservation. In 2018, around 647 turtle hatchlings were released by the organisation.

“There were around seven nests in this season. This year, we have seen more nesting by the olive ridley as compared to past years,” said Pradeep Dingankar, vice-president of Nisarg Yatri. Earlier on March 20, around 150 hatchlings were released by the team.