Lok Sabha Question No. 4301 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-28
Subject: Olive Ridley Turtle
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: R. PARTHIPAN, PONGULETI SRINIVASA REDDY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4301

TO BE ANSWERED ON  28.03.2017

## Olive Ridley Turtle

## 4301.  SHRI R. PARTHIPAN:

SHRI  PONGULETI SRINIVASA REDDY:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Hope Island in Andhra Pradesh has become the graveyard for Olive Ridley Turtles recently and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether mechanized fishing boats in the Bay of Bengal Coastline are causing the deaths of the Olive Ridley Turtles, if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto;
- (c) whether the eggs laid by the said turtles in Gahirmatha Sanctuary in Odisha are getting  destroyed  due  to  shrinking  coastal  space,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and reasons therefor;
- (d) the steps being taken by the Government to increase the beach areas for nesting purpose  of  the  Olive  Ridley  Turtles  in  Gahirmatha  Sanctuary  as  well  as  in Visakhapatnam beach in Andhra Pradesh; and
- (e) the steps being taken for the protection and conservation of Olive Ridley Turtles and their habitats in the country?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ANIL MADHAV DAVE)

- (a)&(b) As  informed  by  the  State  Government  of  Andhra  Pradesh,  during  current season,  85 nos. of deaths of Olive Ridley Turtles were noticed in Hope Island in Andhra Pradesh due to such turtles getting caught in Trawler nets.

The State Government of Odisha has banned mechanised fishing in Gahirmatha  Marine  Wildlife  Sanctuary  and  in  other  3  restricted  zones  of Dhamara,  Devi  and  Rushikulya  river  mouths  for  7  months  starting  from  1 st November every year to 31 st May of next year commensurate with the turtle nesting season till 20 Km. from coast line. The State Government has imposed ban on mechanised fishing all around the year along the entire 480 Km. long coastline  till  5  Km.  from  the  coastline  because  of  the  possibility  of  death  of marine turtles due to such activity.

The State Government has also taken steps to create awareness in this regard among Line departments like Fisheries Department, Fishing communities with the  help  of  NGOs,  ban  mechanized  fishing  trawlers  to  operate  beyond  8 nautical miles, and, create awareness for use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TED) amongst the trawler fishermen boats in all Coastal Districts.

- (c) No study has been carried out by the State Government of Odisha to ascertain shrinking of coastal space and the eggs of sea turtles getting destroyed  therein.
- (d) Erosion  of  the  beaches  at  some  locations  and  accretion  in  another  site  is  a natural  process  that  takes  place  throughout  the  year.  There  are  no  plans  for carrying  interventions  for  increasing  the  beach  area  at  Gahirmatha  Marine Wildlife Sanctuary.

The  Government  of  Andhra  Pradesh  is  implementing  Community  Based Conservation  of  Sea  Turtles  (CBCST)  Programme  every  year  during  the season involving Fishermen and local tribal for the protection and conservation of Olive Ridley Turtles in Visakhapatnam beach.

- (e) Details  of  steps  taken  by  the  Government  for  protection  and  conservation  of Olive Ridley Turtles and their habitats in the country are given at Annexure .

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## ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (e)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4301  REGARDING 'OLIVE RIDLEY TURTLE' RAISED  BY R.  PARTHIPAN  AND  SHRI  PONGULETI  SRINIVASA  REDDY DUE FOR REPLY ON 28.03.2017.

Details of steps taken by the Government for protection and conservation of Olive Ridley Turtles and their habitats in the country are:

- i. Legal  protection  has  been  provided  to  wild  animals  including  Olive  Ridley Turtles against hunting and commercial exploitation under the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
- ii. Protected  Areas,  viz.,  National  Parks,  Sanctuaries,  Conservation  Reserves  and Community Reserves covering important wildlife habitats have been created all over the country under the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to conserve wild animals including Olive Ridley Turtles and their habitats.
- iii. A specific  component of 'Recovery programmes for saving critically endangered species and habitats' is provided in the Centrally Sponsored Scheme  of 'Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats' for focused conservation action on selected critically endangered species. Marine turtles has been  identified as one of the critically endangered species.
- iv. In addition to provision of stringent punishment for the offenders, the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 also provides for forfeiture of any equipment, vehicle or weapon that is used for committing wildlife offence(s).
- v. Financial  and  technical  assistance  is  provided  to  the  State/  Union  Territory Governments  under  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  for  providing  better protection  to  wildlife  including  Olive  Ridley  Turtles  and  improvement  of  its habitat.
- vi. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been empowered under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to apprehend and prosecute wildlife offenders.
- vii. The  concerned  State  Governments  with  the  involvement  of  Line  departments, Coast  guards,  Fishermen  Communities,  local  tribes  and    NGOs  are  organising awareness programmes for  protection and  conservation of Olive Ridley Turtles.

The following further action has been taken by Odisha Government in this regard:

1.  There is statutory ban on fishing in the Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife       Sanctuary area  and  in  restricted  fishing  zones  which  is  being  enforced  for  seven  months starting from 1 st November each year to 31 st May of next year, commensurate with the nesting season.
2. Strict vigil on all important nesting beaches have been made by establishing on shore monitoring and surveillance camps. This year i.e. 2016-17, 55 onshore and

5  offshore  camps  have  been  established  for protection  and  monitoring  of  Olive Ridley sea turtles.

3. Off shore patrolling and surveillance camps have been set up near mass breeding and congregation areas in the sea. Patrolling squads, each under a forest Ranger, have  been  pressed  into  service  from  the  off-shore  camps  for  this  purpose,  and each squad is provided with a hired / Departmental trawler and a support patrol boat for patrolling around the turtle congregation zones in the sea. Coast Guard, Paradip  have  also  been  patrolling  in  the  Marine  Sanctuary  area.  ITR/  DRDO authorities have suitably instructed their concerned officers to check that fishing vessels do not enter inside the Marine Sanctuary from the neighbouring States and Country.
4. APR  force  are  provided  every  year  by  the  State  Police  head  Quarters  at  the disposal of DFOs of coastal Forest Divisions (Balasore, Bhadrak, Rajngar, Puri, Chilika  and  Berhampur)  to  maintain  law  and  order  situation  and  strict  vigil through round the clock sea patrolling.
5. Berthing  facilities  with  provision  for  safety  and  security  have  been  built  up  at Barunei,  Gupti,  Sasanapeta  and  Krushnapriyapur  by  the  Wildlife  Division, Rajnagar  for  boats  seized  within  Gahirmatha  Marine  Sanctuary.  Paradip  Port Trust authorities have allowed parking of seized vessels in the fishing harbour at Paradeep.
6. Monthly  meetings  are  regularly  held  for  close  rapport  building  amongst  the officials of Forest, Fisheries and the Police Departments as also the Coast Guard.
7. VHF  communication  directly  with  Coast  Guard  ship  has  been  arranged  to apprehend outlaws.
8. Range  Officers  of  coastal  Forest  Divisions  have  been  declared  as  authorised officers under the OMFR Act to seized illegal fishing vessels entering in to the prohibited fishing zones in the Odisha coastal waters.
9. Govt.  in  Law  department  (vide  No.  V-LR-1/05/2630/  dated  22.2.2005  &  No. 13130 dated 23.8.2005) have appointed six numbers of Special Public Prosecutors for  six  coastal  districts  (viz.  Kendrapara,  Puri,  Ganjam,  Balesore,  Bhadrak  and Jagatsinghpur districts) to conduct the prosecution cases relating to sea turtles.
10. Co-ordination meetings are organised with local fishing communities regularly to ensure their support in protection of Olive Ridley Turtles.
11. Hoardings  have  been  installed  at important  fishing bases like places like Paradeep,  Madanpur,  Gupti,  Chandanipal,  Karanjamal,  Fishing  Jetty,  Jamboo, Talchua,  Devi-nasi,  Gangadevi,  Jahaniapira,  Nuagarh  (Astaranga),  Gundalva, Chandrabhaga, Purunabanda, Gokharkuda and  Kantiagada for public awareness.
12. Steps  are  taken  to  mobilize  and  motivate  the  users  (sources  of  residential  and industrial  light  sources  influencing  sea  turtles)  to  suitably  dim  the  lights  during the  mass  nesting  and  emergence  of  turtle  hatchlings.  ITR/DRDO  base  at  outer Wheeler  islands  has  been  requested  to  suitably  dim  the  lights  during  the  turtle
11. season as well as for adopting 'blackout' practices during the mass nesting and emergence of turtle hatchlings.
13. Turtle  carcasses  floating  ashore  and  nesting  activities  are  being  meticulously counted by the camp personnel each day and are being carried away from nesting beaches and buried to prevent littering of beaches and to check spread of diseases.
14. A High Level Committee has been constituted by the State Government under the Chairmanship  of  the  Chief  Secretary,  Odisha  for  reviewing  the  sea turtle protection activities from time to time for coordinating among various Departments  of  Odisha  Government,  Indian  Coast  Guard,  IRT/DRDO,  Port Authorities and  Wildlife Institute  of  India,  Dehradun.  The  committee  sits  every year  before  nesting  season  and  takes  stock  of  the  different  activities  to  be executed for the forthcoming nesting season.
15. A state level meeting on protection and conservation of Olive Ridley sea turtles is being conducted every year regarding protection and conservation of Olive Ridley Sea turtles, with various stake holders comprising NGOs / CBOs of the sea turtle nesting  area to  obtain  their  feedback  and  seek  their  support  in  sea  turtle conservation.
16. A web portal for monitoring sporadic nesting and mortality of Olive Ridley sea turtles  (manage.odishawildlife.org)  is  in  place  to  monitor  sporadic  nesting  and turtle mortality on real time basis based on field reporting.
17. The Fisheries and ARD Department, Government of Odisha have issued one time notification vide Fisheries and ARD Department Notification No.12312/FARD / Dated  12.11.2014  for  prohibition  of  fishing  by  motorized  vessels,  trawlers  and mechanized fishing techniques within 20 Kms. from the following specified coast of the sea comprising the sea turtle congregation area and their buffer zones in the vicinity  of  the  following  three  river  mouths  of  the  Odisha  coast  for  the  period from 1st November to 31 st May (both days inclusive) every year.
17. (a) Dhamara river mouth
18. (b) Devi river mouth
19. (c) Rushikulya river mouth
18. Artificial hatchery is being also set up involving local NGOs in the nesting areas of Olive Ridley sea turtles.
19. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has been permitted and is conducting long term monitoring of Olive Ridley sea turtles in Rushikulya river mouth area of Odisha to assess the population dynamics, threat and efficacy of steps being taken to conserve the population of Olive Ridleys.