Bhubaneswar: In a significant boost to marine conservation efforts, the Odisha government tagged six Olive Ridley sea turtles at Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Kendrapada district with satellite-linked tracking devices on Wednesday.
A total of nine turtles — four males and five females — will be tagged to gather crucial data on near-shore movement patterns. Plans are underway to tag an additional three turtles at the Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam district, another key nesting site, in the coming days, the PTI reported, quoting a senior forest official.
The primary goals of the tagging include understanding movement patterns, identifying critical habitats, mitigating threats like fishing bycatch, designing dynamic Marine Protected Areas, and gaining deeper knowledge of the turtles’ life cycle, including feeding and breeding phases. “This will provide vital insights into their behavior and help formulate effective policies for the conservation of Olive Ridley turtles, while also benefiting stakeholders such as local fishing communities,” the official stated.
According to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden PK Jha, the initiative followed decisions made during a High Power Committee meeting on December 17. Six turtles — three males and three females — were tagged at Gahirmatha beach between December 21 and 24.
Jha emphasized Odisha’s pioneering role in Olive Ridley conservation, noting that satellite telemetry studies began in the state as early as 2001. The programme was revived in 2024, following committee recommendations, to focus on near-shore movements.
Under a tripartite agreement involving the forest department, Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and Dhamra Port Company Ltd, two turtles were tagged earlier this year. One of those turtles displayed near-shore activity around Wheeler Island and adjacent areas before heading north, with its tag detaching in Bhitarkanika’s mangroves by April 1. The second undertook an extensive migration, moving eastward into open waters, then southward past Tamil Nadu toward the seas east of Sri Lanka.
