On the occasion of the 50th Raising Day of Indian Coast Guard, Iqbal Singh Chauhan, IG, Coast Guard, Region North East, penned his thoughts on an annual operation that is extremely close to the force’s heart – Operation Olivia – that takes place along the Odisha coast.
We share the article here.
Its new moon and negligible winds thus calm seas. Darkness has enveloped the entire beach along the Gahirmata sea sanctuary, Orissa. Slow rhythmic waves are murmuring and caressing the shore. Suddenly thousands of sea turtles emerge from the placid sea and march towards the beach like an armada of ships landing ashore stealthily. These turtles are female turtles arriving on the beach for their annual sojourn for mass nesting termed as ‘Arribada’.
Female turtles will arrive on the same beach to lay eggs from where they were hatched and born. Each turtle will cross the high tide mark instinctively and dig a feet and half deep pit to lay eggs. Each turtle is destined to lay approximately 100 eggs. These eggs take generally 45 to 60 days to hatch. Incubation period depends on the sand temperature. It is learnt that the sex of turtles is decided by sand temperature. Warmer the sand more the females, cooler the sand more the males.
The hatchlings start breaking away from the eggs in cooler temperature of the night and instinctively start their long journey towards the glow of the sea in their small legs and flippers. Commanding Indian Coast Guard ship in beginning months of the millennium, I have observed Gahirmata sea sanctuary turning black in the day light with billions of hatchlings floating and taking their baby steps towards deep sea. Unfortunately only few will survive and attain adulthood.
Among many well-known stories among coast guardians wherein turtles were involved in providing proverbial assistance to mariners at sea, there is an incident to which I am privy to. Few years back, a Chinese flag merchant vessel capsized off Sand’s Head in the Bay of Bengal. While most of the crew was rescued by Indian Coast Guard (ICG) within hours, three sailors went missing. These mariners were subsequently saved during a sea-air coordinated search and rescued after 72 hours. The rescued mariners later narrated that while they were marooned in open sea where darkness and despair stalks, these little turtles kept them company all along and kept them motivated to strive for life throughout the entire ordeal.
These turtles are ‘Olive Ridley’ turtles, scientific name ‘Lepidochelys Olivacea’. These turtles spend their entire lives in the ocean and studies have indicated that they traverse long distances between feeding and mating grounds in the course of a year. Their mating takes place close to the coast of Orissa for more than two months – November to January. Individual couple mating takes hours and hours and females are capable of mating with multiple males. The male turtles retreat to high seas post copulating and continue their journey.
For centuries, beaches along the Orissa coast have been a breeding ground for these turtles. The main rookeries in Orissa are Gahirmata coast, Rishikulia and Devi river mouth beaches. Despite abundant nesting sites, Olive Ridley turtles are facing threats from coastal development, marine pollution and fishing practices. To address to these challenges, the ICG has been conducting marine conservation initiatives since early 1980s and the efforts continuous till day.
In fact ICG is a unique and the only armed force of the Union which has been entrusted “to preserve and protect the marine environment and prevent and control of marine pollution” under Section 14 (2) (c) the Coast Guard Act, 1978. Apart from ICG, Orissa state forest and fisheries department, fishermen community and NGOs have been involved in protecting the Olive Ridley turtles.
The turtles are often accidentally caught in fishing nets, especially from trawlers operating near nesting beaches. Furthermore, the destruction of nesting habitats due to human activities, such as sand mining and tourism, further exacerbates the situation. The ICG continues to patrol at sea and ensure a safe passage for mating and nesting for these endangered species. ICG also conduct community interaction programs with fishermen about conservation of turtles, use of turtle excluder device and dangerous effect of turtle mortality on marine eco system. Service also provides training to fishermen on how to handle accidental turtle catches and how to safely release these turtles back into the sea, ensuring that they do not suffer further harm.
The Indian Government has recognized the Olive Ridley turtle as a Schedule-I species under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, providing them with legal protection against hunting, poaching, and trade. Additionally, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has introduced various conservation measures, such as the establishment of marine protected areas along the coast.
Last year from 01 Nov 24 to 30 Apr 25, ICG ships were deployed for 211 ship days and ICG aircraft were tasked for 161 hours 20 Min. Survey reports Forest Department Orrissa confirms Arribada and 5,55,638 eggs were safely laid by Olive Ridley turtle at Rushikulya and Devi river mouth to Astrang symbolizing collective conservation efforts by ICG and other stake holders. As Indian Coast Guard celebrates its 50 years of glorious service to the nation, conservation efforts for Olive Ridley turtles shall always be close to our hearts.
