TAMIL NADU JUNKS TURTLE EXCLUDER DEVICES, KILLS OLIVE RIDLEYS EN MASSE

ARTISANAL FISHERMEN SAY THEY NEVER SAW SUCH MASS MORTALITY ON THE BEACH IN THEIR LIFETIME

- S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA

Every morning for the past 20 days, Tamil Nadu forest department and turtle conservation volunteers have been burying tens of carcasses of endangered Olive Ridley turtles on Chennai's shores. Barely 15 nests were discovered and secured on the city beaches so far. In contrast, over 500 dead turtles, mostly mother turtles with eggs, washed ashore.

While some artisanal fishermen say they never saw such mortality in their lifetime, few others argue the issue got the attention it deserved because the unusual rough seas in January and current flowing from north to south was bringing the dead to Chennai beaches, which otherwise would have got concealed in the open sea.

Why are so many turtles dying? The answer to this question lies with the Tamil Nadu fisheries department, which failed to enforce the ban of trawl fishing within five nautical miles during breeding and nesting season (December to March) and fix mandatory Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in trawl nets.

It is suspected that mass mortality occurred between Kasimedu in Chennai and the south Andhra coast, where trawling was undertaken intensively in the near shore waters by large fishing vessels with powerful and illegal Chinese engines.