The mating season for Olive Ridley turtles has officially commenced near the Rushikulya river mouth in Odisha's Ganjam district, prompting the administration to intensify patrolling to deter poachers, an official reported. Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sunny Khokkar confirmed that numerous pairs of turtles have been sighted, and expects mating activity to escalate in the last week of December.
He noted that nesting typically occurs for 45 days after the mating period. Following mating, female turtles dig pits in the sand to lay their eggs before returning to the sea, with the hatchlings emerging 45-50 days later.
The DFO expressed hope for a large turnout this year, with mass nesting anticipated in the third week of February. Last year, the area witnessed a record mass nesting event, where over 9.04 lakh turtles laid eggs along a seven-km beach stretch from Bateswar to Gokharakuda across two phases.
Sources detailed that 6,98,698 turtles nested in the first phase (February 16–23), while another 2.05 lakh nested in the second phase (March 16–23). Meanwhile, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) for the Khallikote range, Dibya Shankar Behera, confirmed that sea patrolling has been stepped up to protect the mating turtles from poachers.
During these patrols, two mechanised fishing trawlers from Andhra Pradesh were seized for illegal fishing in the prohibited area. The government has enforced a fishing ban for mechanized trawlers within 20 km of the coast from November 1 to May 31 to safeguard the turtles during their congregation and mass nesting period.
Furthermore, the forest department held a coordination meeting with local fishermen, requesting their cooperation during the mating, nesting, and hatching period at the Rushikulya River rookery. The fishermen used the meeting to demand that their compensation be doubled from the current ₹15,000 to ₹30,000 during the annual fishing ban.
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