seaturtle.org : MTN : ARCHIVES : Sign In
Marine Turtle Newsletter 25:2-4, © 1983
Edward O. Moll1, Satish Bhaskar and J. Vijaya2
1Department of Zoology, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois 61920, U.S.A.
2c/o Madras Snake Park Trust, Raj Bhavan P.O., Madras - 600 022, India
Lepidochelys olivacea is listed on Schedule I (a totally protected species) of India's Wildlife Act, yet annually large numbers are landed at ports such as Digha in West Bengal (Bobb 1982) eventually finding their way to various markets especially Calcutta and even as far north as Siliguri over 300 miles from the sea (our own observations). Concern over the large scale illegal slaughter of olive ridleys along the eastern coast of India prompted a December 1982 editorial in the Marine Turtle Newsletter (No. 23, 1-2) calling for a letter writing campaign to urge the Prime Minister of India to take action on the problem. Over the last 2 years a number of positive steps have been taken by both state and federal agencies. However, funds and manpower that they can put toward conservation of a single species are limited. Recently while surveying freshwater turtles in India (an Indo-American Fellowship Project), we have been able to observe the ridley problem first-hand and to witness the efforts taken by the government to deal with it.
Gahirmatha, Cuttack District, Orissa: Following Daniel & Hussain's discovery of the nesting beach in 1973 (unpublished), Bustard (1974, 1976) reported the exceptionally large ridley nesting population in this region. The area has since been incorporated into the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary. Our arrival here on 10 February 1983 was a few days too late to witness an especially large arribada. Chandra Sekar Kar a graduate student sponsored by the Orissa Forest Department estimated that some 160 to 175 thousand turtles had nested over a 2 day period (3 & 4 February). To protect the turtles from offshore poaching at this time, the Orissa Forest Department in cooperation with the Indian Navy patrolled the area by cruiser on 4 February. They arrested 66 poachers and seized 3 mechanized trawlers and 10 "country" boats (small wooden craft driven by sail and oars) containing a total of 186 ridleys. The turtles and confiscated equipment were taken to Chandbali where a court order allowing their release was issued on 10 February. By that time 30 of the captives had died but the remaining 156 were then released into the Baitarani River some 10 to 15 km from the sea. Mr. L.N. Choudhury Divisional Forest Officer at Chandbali told us that in past years poachers might take up to 50,000 turtles per year. He said that while those arrested this year were only a small percentage of the total, hopefully the arrests will serve to discourage others.
Another problem of equal importance to poaching at Gahirmatha is the growing number of fishing nets and trawlers being used along the coast. C. S. Kar estimates that there are presently 100/150 trawlers moving along the coast each day. At the time of our visit, the 10 km of beach was littered with over 3000 dead ridleys which had either been drowned in nets or had their heads bashed in by owners of the nets. According to Kar this number is about 6 times the usual for this time because there are many more fishermen this year. Two cyclones last year destroyed most of the local crops forcing many people to turn to the sea for food.
On the brighter side, the nesting beach itself is reasonably well protected. A local home guard of 15 men regularly patrol some 17 to 20 km of beach by bicycle and on foot. In addition the Forest Department employs 25 personnel that regularly cover the most used 10 km of beach. The actions most needed for this region are the continued harassment of poachers and establishment of fishing controls near the nesting beach. A 3-5 mile limit for trawlers and a total ban of fishing nets during the mating and nesting seasons (October--April) should be legislated and enforced.
Digha, West Bengal and Vicinity: From Udaipur, Orissa (a small fishing village on the West Bengal border) along the coast to Digha, West Bengal (a small village catering to tourists) is where most of the sea turtles are landed before being shipped to the markets of West Bengal. In December 1981 when one of us (Vijaya) visited the area, the beaches near Digha were lined with rows of sea turtles that were being auctioned off in lots of a 100 or more. The operation was carried out in broad daylight and was very open.
This year when Vijaya again visited Digha (19-2-83) it appeared that while there had been no reduction of landings, the operation had become far more secretive indicating some pressure has been brought to bear on the trade. Turtles are unloaded now in late afternoon and evening and are moved to secluded holding tanks set about 400 metres back in cultivated fields. At the time of her visit, sea turtle landings were few and it required a week to 10 days to amass a truck load (ca. 200) for market. She was told by fishermen and a local official that the peak season had been from late October through December when 10 to 12 truckloads of turtles were being transported from Udaipur on most nights.
Madras and Vicinity, Tamil Nadu: This year the Forest Department of Tamil Nadu launched their "Save the Turtle Campaign" by taking over the ridley hatchery program first begun in 1973 by the Madras Snake Park Trust. From 1976 to this year the hatchery program was operated by the Central Marine Fisheries Institute. Under Forest Department supervision, five hatcheries have now been set up in the state. Two programs near Madras cover about 40 km of beach and three more farther south at Point Calimere, Arkottithurai and Vallipallam cover an additional 30 km. This proved to be an exceptionally good year for nesting. The former two hatcheries amassed 23 to 25 thousand eggs each, while the latter three had a total of 26 thousand eggs between them. Hatchlings are just now beginning to emerge and are being released upon emergence. Another positive action for the turtles of Tamil Nadu has been the restriction of trawling to 3 miles from the nesting beaches. According to Romulus Whitaker, Director of the Madras Snake Park Trust, dead ridleys now only rarely wash up on the beach whereas prior to the trawling restriction hundreds were seen along the Coromandel Coast each season.
In summary, the governments of Orissa and Tamil Nadu are to be commended for their strong support of sea turtle conservation. Problems still exist particularly in Orissa but the wildlife officials are interested and dedicated to find solutions. West Bengal remains a key problem area. Greater enforcement of the Wildlife Act at Digha and at inland markets would greatly reduce poaching in the Bay of Bengal and correspondingly reduce Orissa's problem of safeguarding one of the world's largest rookeries of olive ridley sea turtles.
Bobb, D. 1982. Slaughter at Digha. India Today 31:69-65.
Bustard, H.R. 1974. India: A preliminary survey of prospects for crocodile farming, F.A.O. Rome 1-50.
Bustard, H.R. 1976. World's largest sea turtle rookery. Tiger Paper 3,3.
Daniel, J.C. & S.A. Hussain, 1973. The crocodiles of Bhitar Kanika, Orissa. Unpublished report.