In A First: Indian Coast Guard Employed To Safeguard A Rare Species of Turtle
Operation Oliva has been launched by the Indian Coast Guard to intercept unlawful trawling activities along Odisha coast while embarking on its annual mission to ensure the safe mid-sea sojourn of Olive Ridley turtles.
About Operation Oliva
- The Odisha government agencies have sought Indian Coast Guard services in the turtle conservation program.
- The Coast Guard sends an improvised ship, besides a dronier aircraft to keep an eye on illegal fishing in the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary.
- The patrol in turtle congregation sites would remain in force till the turtles finished laying eggs on nesting beaches.
- The Indian Coast Guard has requested the state government to issue identity cards to local fishermen to detect Bangladeshi infiltrators fishermen.
About Olive Ridley Turtles
- They inhabit tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans.
- They are found in coastal bays and estuaries also they can be very oceanic over some parts of their range.
- Measure 2-2.5 feet in carapace length.
- Nest every year in mass synchronized nestings known as arribadas (Spanish for “arrival”).
- Only the Kemp’s ridley also nests this way. Nests 2 times each season.
- The average clutch size is over 110 eggs which require a 52 to 58 day incubation period.
- Listed as Vulnerable (facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future) by the IUCN
- Direct harvest of adults and eggs, incidental capture in commercial fisheries, and loss of nesting habitat are the main threats to these turtles.
Source: GK Today
