Conservation of Vulnerable Olive Ridley Sea Turtles: A Boon for Coastal Fishery in Odisha

Apply

Conservation of Vulnerable Olive Ridley Sea Turtles: A Boon for Coastal Fishery in Odisha

Journal Title: International Journal of Zoological Investigations - Year 2017, Vol 3, Issue 2

Abstract

In tropical regions, increasing human populations are largely responsible for overexploitation of marine biodiversity restricted to warmer zones of the ocean. This has led to threatened or vulnerable or endangered status of marine or coastal organisms. In the marine ecosystem, turtles have ecological and economical importance but all the seven marine turtle species are vulnerable. Turtles are endangered because of few remaining nesting sites in the world. Despite the world’s largest nesting beaches in Odisha, Olive Ridley turtle’s future is uncertain. The homing instinct and mass arrival (Arribada) of turtles provide a temptation for massive poaching of their eggs and hatchlings. For several decades, local fishermen in coastal regions of Odisha believed that turtles consume fishes and are detrimental to their interests. This turned out to be a wrong notion because mass mortality of fishes occurs due to Jelly fishes (coelenterate) and not by turtles. In fact, turtles eat Jellyfishes and thereby rescue fish species. Global climate changes have also shown detrimental effects on hatching duration and sex ratios. Climate warming is likely to result in either all male or all female progeny of turtles. In Odisha, effective conservation efforts by local people started only about 20 years ago. Despite the ecological and economic importance of Olive Ridley sea turtles for coastal people, local and global efforts to conserve turtles require understanding the secrets of its reproductive biology, ecology, population dynamics; and by implementing a legal framework.

Authors and Affiliations

Ravi Parkash

Keywords

Effects of Heavy Metals Bioaccumulation and Histopathology in Gill, Liver and Kidney of Fish, Alepes vari (Cuvier, 1833) Collected from Uppanar Estuary

Pollution of aquatic environment is a serious and growing problem, which is usually caused by domestic, agricultural, commercial and industrial activities of man. However, heavy metals are considered the most hazardous o...

Molecular Characterization of Putative Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Receptors and Expression of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide and its Receptor in the Early Development of Flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a 37-amino acid neuropeptide that has been identified in teleosts and mammals. Calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CLR) forms the CGRP receptor. In teleost fish, CGRP plays a role...

EP ID EP451448
DOI -
Views 200
Downloads 0