Olive Ridley sea turtles have arrived at the Rushikulya river mouth, marking a start of an annual breeding season of the endangered species.
“We have already seen several pairs of Olive Ridley turtles near Rushikulya river mouth, about 20 km off the coast since Thursday,” Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer SS Mishra told.
Their arrival for the annual mating was, however, delayed by a few days this year, probably due to the late arrival of the winter, he said.
The Rushikulya river mouth is said to be the second-largest rookery in the world for the Olive Ridley turtles after the famous Gahiramatha beach in Kendrapara district. The Devi river mouth is also another rookery, where thousands of such turtles come for nesting. “We have made elaborate arrangements for their protection and safe mating,” said the DFO.
While fishing has been banned in the area, the forest and fishery departments have intensified patrolling to crack down on illegal fishing and entry of trawlers.
The Gopalpur Port limited has provided a speed boat this time for patrolling, the DFO informed, adding that at least nine camps had been set up to monitor the movement of the turtles at the Rushikulya mouth.