Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Observations on the mortality of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) and associated factors along Ganjam coast, east coast of India


Affiliations
1 Department of Environmental Studies, Berhampur University, Berhampur, Odisha – 760 007, India., India
 

The Odisha coast along the east coast of India is home to three mass nesting sites (Gahirmatha, Devi and Rushikulya) and several sporadic nesting sites for olive ridley sea turtles. The coastline in the Ganjam district of Odisha has more than nine beaches that report olive ridleys (Lepidochelys olivacea) nesting, including one mass nesting site i.e the Rushikulya estuary. To develop a better understanding of beach habitat conditions along the Ganjam district's 60-km-long coastline, a survey was conducted and data on the extent of olive ridley mortalit y, associated threats (both direct and indirect), and factors affecting habitat loss, were collected. The survey was carried out entirely on foot between March and April 2020, visiting nine separate sites three times each. Dead turtle carcasses were seen on only seven out of the nine beaches. The major threats observed were fishing activities and predation; while plastic contamination, topographical changes (shifting in Rushikulya river mouth), vehicular movements, and artificial lighting were the factors associated with habitat degradation. The highest incidences of mortality were caused by fishing activity. In addition, maximum turtle mortality was seen at lower elevations (3 – 6 m above MSL) as compared to beaches with higher elevations. The current survey on olive ridley turtle mortality is the first of its kind along the Ganjam coast and the findings underscore the importance of solidifying conservation efforts on the olive ridleys' habitat.

Keywords

Ganjam Coast, Mortality, Olive Ridley, Rushikulya, Threats.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Kar C S & Bhaskar S, Status of sea turtles in the eastern Indian Ocean, In: Biology and conservation of sea turtles, edited by K Bjorndal, (Smithsonian Institution Press -Washington, DC), 1982, pp. 365-372.

  • Bhupathy S, Conservation of olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea (Reptilia/Chelonia) along the Nagapattinam coast, southeast coast of India, Indian J Geo-Mar Sci, 32 (2003), pp. 168-171.

  • Tripathy B, Shanker K & Choudhury B C, Important nesting habitats of olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea along the Andhra Pradesh coast of eastern India, Oryx, 37 (2003) 454-463.

  • Pandav B, Choudhury B C & Shanker K, The olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Orissa: an urgent call for an intensive and integrated conservation programme, Curr Sci, 75 (1998) 1323-1328.

  • Pandav B, Choudhury B C & Kar C S, Mortality of olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea due to incidental capture in fishing nets along the Orissa coast, India, Oryx, 31 (1997) 32-36.

  • Pandav B, Choudhury B C & Kar C S, Discovery of a New Sea Turtle Rookery in Orissa, India, Mar Turtle Newsletter, 67 (1994) 15-16.

  • Behera S, Choudhury B C & Dutta S K, Spatial Dynamics of Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) Density in the Tropical Sea Water of India, Proc Zool Soc, 72 (2019) 364– 371.

  • Tripathy B & Rajasekhar P S, Natural and anthropogenic threats to olive ridley Sea Turtles ( Lepidochelys olivacea) at the Rushikulya rookery of Orissa coast, India, Indian J Geo-Mar Sci, 38 (2009) 439-443.

  • Godfrey M H & Chevalier J, The status of olive ridley sea turtles in the West Atlantic, Report requested by the olive ridley sea turtle assessment group of the Marine Turtle Specialist Group–SSC/IUCN, 2004, pp. 10.

  • Bhupathy S & Saravanan S, Status of sea turtles along the Tamil Nadu coast, India, Kachhapa, 7 (2002) 7-13.

  • Pandav B & Choudhury B C, Conservation and management of olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea) in Orissa, Final report: Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2000, pp. 68.

  • Tripathy B, Distribution and dynamics of reproductive patch in olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) off Rushikulya, Orissa coast of India, Indian J Geo-Mar Sci, 42 (2013) 343-348.

  • Behera S, Tripathy B, Sivakumar K, Choudhury B C & Pandav B, Fisheries impact on breeding of olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) along the Gahirmatha coast, Bay of Bengal, Odisha, India, Herpetol J, 26 (2016) 93-108.

  • Tripathy B, Reproductive biology and conservation of olive ridley at Rushikulya Rookery of Odisha, India, Int J Conserv Sci, 7 (2016) 1105-1126.

  • Tripathy B, An assessment of solitary and arribada nesting of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) at the Rushikulya rookery of Orissa, India, Asiatic Herpetol Res, 11 (2008) 136-142.

  • Scariah K S, Philipose V, Dan S S, Nair P K & Subbaraman G, Appraisal of the marine fisheries in Orissa, CMFRI Special Publication, 32 (1987) 1-36.

  • Shanker K, Pandav B & Choudhury B C, An assessment of the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) nesting population in Orissa, India, Biol Conserv, 115 (2004) 149-160.

  • Prusty B A K, Gajera N B, Chandra R & Thivakaran G A, Sand Dune Stabilization and Rehabilitation of Ecologically Important Beach Habitats in Ratnagiri District, Unpublished Report, Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology, Bhuj, 2017, pp. 120.

  • Dash M C & Kar C S, The Turtle Paradise: Gahirmatha, Interprint, New Delhi, India, 1990, pp. 295.

  • Ruiz-Izaguirre E, van Woersem A, Eilers K (C) H A M, van Wieren S E, Bosch G, et al., Roaming characteristics and feeding practices of village dogs scavenging sea -turtle nests, Anim Conserv, 18 (2015) 146-156.

  • Behera S & Kaiser H, Threats to the nests of Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea Eschschholtz, 1829) in the world’s largest sea turtle rookery at Gahirmatha, India: need for a solution, Herpetol Notes, 30 (2020) 435-442.

  • Gopi G V, Pandav B & Choudhury B C, Incidental capture and mortality of olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in commercial trawl fisheries in coastal waters of Orissa, India, Chelonian Conserv Biol, 5 (2006) 276-280.

  • Wilcox C, Puckridge M, Schuyler Q A, Townsend K & Hardesty B D, A quantitative analysis linking sea turtle mortality and plastic debris ingestion, Scientific reports, 8 (2018) 1-11.

  • Hawkes L A, Broderick A C, Godfrey M H & Godley B J, Climate change and marine turtles, Endanger Species Res, 7 (2009) 137-154.


Abstract Views: 139

PDF Views: 85




  • Observations on the mortality of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) and associated factors along Ganjam coast, east coast of India

Abstract Views: 139  |  PDF Views: 85

Authors

S P Pattnayak
Department of Environmental Studies, Berhampur University, Berhampur, Odisha – 760 007, India., India
B A K Prusty
Department of Environmental Studies, Berhampur University, Berhampur, Odisha – 760 007, India., India

Abstract


The Odisha coast along the east coast of India is home to three mass nesting sites (Gahirmatha, Devi and Rushikulya) and several sporadic nesting sites for olive ridley sea turtles. The coastline in the Ganjam district of Odisha has more than nine beaches that report olive ridleys (Lepidochelys olivacea) nesting, including one mass nesting site i.e the Rushikulya estuary. To develop a better understanding of beach habitat conditions along the Ganjam district's 60-km-long coastline, a survey was conducted and data on the extent of olive ridley mortalit y, associated threats (both direct and indirect), and factors affecting habitat loss, were collected. The survey was carried out entirely on foot between March and April 2020, visiting nine separate sites three times each. Dead turtle carcasses were seen on only seven out of the nine beaches. The major threats observed were fishing activities and predation; while plastic contamination, topographical changes (shifting in Rushikulya river mouth), vehicular movements, and artificial lighting were the factors associated with habitat degradation. The highest incidences of mortality were caused by fishing activity. In addition, maximum turtle mortality was seen at lower elevations (3 – 6 m above MSL) as compared to beaches with higher elevations. The current survey on olive ridley turtle mortality is the first of its kind along the Ganjam coast and the findings underscore the importance of solidifying conservation efforts on the olive ridleys' habitat.

Keywords


Ganjam Coast, Mortality, Olive Ridley, Rushikulya, Threats.

References