AP targets over 7 lakh Olive Ridley eggs this season

Visakhapatnam: The Forest department is planning to collect over seven lakh Olive Ridley turtle eggs this year and has made arrangements accordingly. Officials said the number of hatchlings has been steadily increasing. Across Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts, 31 hatcheries have been set up—16 in Srikakulam and 10 in Vizianagaram alone. The North Andhra circle has deployed 98 protection watchers.The egg collection season began the day after Pongal. So far, 3.98 lakh eggs have been collected and placed in 3,460 nests—2,423 in Srikakulam, 521 in Visakhapatnam and 436 in Vizianagaram. By March 15, 2,313 hatchlings had been released into the sea, including 1,269 from Visakhapatnam and 1,051 from Srikakulam.Olive Ridley turtles migrate from foraging grounds such as Sri Lanka to nest between November and May, with peak nesting from December to April. Andhra Pradesh lies along the migratory route connected to Odisha's major rookeries at Gahirmatha and Rushikulya. Visakhapatnam CCF Dr Mydeen told TOI that nesting usually occurs near river mouths and estuaries, with historical densities ranging from 15 to 100 nests per km.Meanwhile, the Wildlife Management Authority and Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary have conserved nearly 20,000 eggs collected from 174 nests on Hope Island in Kakinada Bay—one of the safest nesting grounds in the state.Andhra Pradesh's 1,000 km coastline along the Bay of Bengal serves as an important sporadic nesting site, unlike the mass arribadas seen in Odisha. Olive Ridleys (Lepidochelys olivacea) are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN and protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.CCF Mydeen said dog and bird predation, jackals, coastal development, artificial lighting, plastic pollution and oil discharge pose major threats to eggs and hatchlings.The forest department works with NGOs, Coast Guard, Marine Police, fisheries department, fishermen and corporate partners. Protection watchers identify nests, collect eggs and release hatchlings.Last year, 6,662 nestings were recorded in AP. The department collected 6.89 lakh eggs, protecting them in 73 hatcheries with help from 247 watchers. A total of 6,02,374 hatchlings were released. In Visakhapatnam Circle alone, 3,933 nestings yielded 4.37 lakh eggs, and 3,98,647 hatchlings were released.This year, 742 nestings have been identified so far, and about 86,000 eggs collected.