Olive Ridley nests damaged, over 2,000 eggs feared lost
MUMBAI: The passage of Cyclone Tauktae along Maharashtra’s coast damaged a total of 29 Olive Ridley nests in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts.
Locals appointed by the state forest department operate hatcheries for sea turtle conservation in these districts. Experts fear that 2,000-3,000 Olive Ridley eggs, which were to hatch this month, may be lost owing to the damage. HT had reported, on May 9, that the number of Olive Ridley nests doubled this year in state. During nesting season (which runs from December to March), a total of 451 nesting sites were recorded, up from 288 during the same period last year.
“Fortunately, most of the eggs have already hatched during April and May. Some nests which had not hatched, were significantly damaged on Monday due to the cyclone,” said Harshal Karve, a marine biologist with the Mangrove Foundation.
In Ratnagiri, these include nine nests on Kolthare beach, eight nests in Guhagar, two nests in Dabhol and one each on Karde, Velas, Anjarle and Gaohkhadi.
The hatchery in Kolthare alone was incubating an estimated 861 eggs, while Guhagar had about 776 eggs. At Sindhudurg’s Vayangani and Shiroda beaches, four and two nests, respectively, were damaged.
Though forest department officers had fenced the nests and covered them with tarpaulin, the sheer strength of tidal waves and torrential rains on Monday could not keep water out of the hatcheries. “The season for hatching is not over yet. We are going to continue to watch over the nests for another two weeks, but it is unlikely that the eggs will hatch. Existing literature shows that freshly laid eggs, and even eggs on the verge of hatching, suffer complete mortality when exposed to any flooding over a period of 24 to 48 hours,” said Karve. Mangrove Foundation on Tuesday morning also received an information about common dolphins, including one juvenile, being stranded at Murud-janjira beach in Raigad district. Though officials did not reach the spot, local fishermen were instructed on how to release them back into the sea. “The dolphins were successfully released. There are no other reports of stranded cetaceans or other marine animals due to cyclone,” said Virendra Tiwari, additional principal chief conservator of forests, Mangrove Foundation.
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