Status of sea turtle conservation in India and the way forward

Abstract

Sea turtles play an important role in maintaining the balance of the food web in the marine ecosystem. It is reported that the unintentional capture of turtles in shrimp trawls is the most important factor leading to the mortality of sea turtles. Globally, several conservation measures are in place for conserving populations of the iconic sea turtles. This includes India where several identified turtle nesting sites are protected through appropriate restrictions on fishing and other anthropogenic activities. The history of conservation of sea turtles in India and recent linking use of Turtle Excluder Device (TED) in shrimp trawls to shrimp imports by the USA, is discussed.