Deadly start to turtle nesting season in Chennai
CHENNAI: Olive Ridley sea turtle deaths along the Chennai coast are fast approaching the 100 mark this season, triggering serious concern among conservationists and officials as the peak nesting period is still weeks away. The early surge in mortality has raised fears that TN could be headed for another disastrous nesting season, after a record 1,200 turtle deaths were reported along the coast last year. On Saturday, 10-12 carcasses were spotted on the coastal stretch from Chennai to Neelankarai, which includes an endangered Green Sea Turtle and this is the daily average death count for the past one week, according to the volunteers from Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network. Forest department officials say the state has intensified marine surveillance in response to the rising toll. We have stepped up patrolling significantly. Besides the newly launched Chennai marine elite force, we have also roped in the Ramanathapuram marine elite force, an official said. We are doing everything possible to stop illegal trawling, and we hope the daily death count will come down. Preliminary assessments of the carcasses point to drowning as the primary cause of death. The pattern is very similar when we examine the external signs. Most of the turtles found dead are males and appear to have drowned, which suggests entanglement in fishing nets. There could also be other unexplained reasons, and this needs close study, an official said. What has left officials concerned is the unusually early onset of deaths. Last nesting season, carcasses began washing ashore only after Christmas. This time, the deaths started much earlier. The number is already nearing 100 in Chennai alone. If we include the stretch between Neelankarai and Kovalam, the figure could touch 200, which is extremely worrying, especially since nesting activity is expected to pick up from January, the official added. Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, told TNIE, that the government is closely tracking the situation and will convene an emergency review meeting to take stock of the measures in place. Illegal trawling has been stopped near Chennai coastal waters. However, we also need to examine whether turtles are getting killed elsewhere and washing ashore here. Most of the carcasses we are seeing are three to four days old, she said. A meeting of the States Turtle Task Force, chaired by the chief secretary, is scheduled for next week. Officials are expected to review enforcement gaps and conservation strategies ahead of the peak nesting season. One major concern remains the poor enforcement of Turtle Excluder Devices, which are mandatory for trawl nets and designed to allow turtles to escape. Officials admit that resistance from sections of the fishing community has hampered effective implementation. Conservationists warn that without stricter enforcement at sea, combined with scientific monitoring and sustained engagement with fishing communities, turtle mortality could rise further. With mating already underway offshore and nesting set to intensify soon, experts say the next few weeks will be critical in determining whether Tamil Nadu can avert another devastating season for the turtles.
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