Rushikulya river mouth readies for mass nesting of Olive Ridleys, no-fishing zone enforced

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.

After the deep-sea mating process of the endangered turtles last November, the mass egg-laying of thousands of turtles will begin in a few more days. 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.

Speaking about the arrangements, Khallikote Ranger, Dibyashankar Behera said, “The 5km-area from New Podampeta to Prayagi has been barricaded with hexanet. 20km area has been announced as no-fishing zone which is being patrolled by the forest department's speed boats. We hope the numbers will increase this year.”

A clean beach is a key requirement for the safe mass nesting of rare Olive Ridley turtles. Extending their help, the Odisha Journalists' Association cleaned the Bateshwar beach for the purpose.

“Thousands of Olive Ridleys lay eggs here every year. The Forest Department has made all the arrangements with enforcement of no-fishing zone in the area,” said environmentalist, Dr Dwarikanath Maharana.

These endangered species flock to the place every year from the third week of February to the first week of March for nesting. Odisha is the largest mass nesting site for Oliver Ridleys in the world. While last year more than 3.8 lakh turtles had flocked the river mouth, the number is expected to rise this year.