Bhubaneswar: As the nesting season of Olive Ridley turtles nears, the river mouth of Rushikulya at Bateswar beach in Ganjam is all braced up for the event.
For this, the forest department’s preparations have reached the final stages and security arrangements have also been tightened.
As per reports, the forest department has tightened deep-sea patrolling with the help of three trawlers and two speed boats. No fishing zone has been enforced from the mouth of Rushikulya up to the north at Prayagi and to Aryapalli in the southern direction.
Olive ridley turtles — one of the species of the sea turtle under the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature — turn up in millions for mass nesting along the Odisha coast every year.
The reptiles lay eggs at the Gahirmatha beach in Kendrapara district, the Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam district and the Devi river mouth in Puri district.
An olive ridley usually lays about 120-150 eggs and the hatchlings, after emerging from these eggs in a span of 45 to 60 days, travel to the sea. They grow up without their mothers.
Reports suggest that out of every 1,000 hatchlings that enter the sea, only one manages to reach adulthood, according to Odisha Tourism.
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