Proceedings of the workshop on Sea turtle conservation

Abstract

Sea turtles bave attracted considerable attention in recent years on account of their vulnerability despite the feet that all the five species occurring in our seas are protected under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. The mass nesting of the olive ridley Lepidochelys olivacea along parts of the Orissa Coast and the illegal capture and sale of this species in the Calcutta markets as well as the heavy accidental catch in fishing operations and consequent mortality and strandings have focussed greater attention on the need for developing proper conservation and management measures for this and other species. Turtle egg predation by man and animals has been rampant in some of the nesting grounds and an effective control is a major unfulfilled task. In addition, there is considerable biodegradation of some of the nesting beaches due to human interference resulting in recent years in the total absence of nesting on such beaches. Very extensive man-made engineering works such as the sea walls along Kerala Coast or protective embankments near Harbours have gone a long way in completely obliterating some of the nesting beaches. To some extent, activities such as beaching of boats, seasonal migrant settlement of fisherfolk on nesting beaches and development of beach resorts have also been significant perturbations.