TerraGreen Magazine - September 2020

In this issue

In this issue of TerraGreen, we look at conserving turtles as part of fishing. Each year, many sea turtles are accidentally captured, injured or killed by fishermen. Many of these injuries and deaths take place while turtles are migrating through fishing areas. The turtles, attracted to the bait, get caught on the hooks used to catch fish. With each passing day, due to different anthropogenic activities and climatic conditions, the turtle population is declining throughout the world. This month’s cover story ‘Conserving Turtles in Tamil Nadu’s Fishing Village’ highlights that in the small coastal fishing village of Vanagiri, in the Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu, some fishermen have turned into environmental conservationists by conserving turtles since 2009, while continuing their own fishing lifestyles. Part of this is by adapting changed fishing practices. This is because turtles face many hurdles due to current fishing practices. Modern fishing nets and speeding boats challenge their very survival today. With the collaborative efforts of the Forest Department and NGOs, local fishermen have modified their fishing habits due to the increased awareness, and their actions conserve turtles in this village. This is a good omen— and this practice should be followed in other coastal areas, not only in India but globally as well.