More than 1,100 dead olive ridley sea turtles have washed ashore on the beaches of Tamil Nadu state in southern India this January, prompting a crackdown on illegal fishing and increased wildlife patrols.
Kuppusamy Sivakumar, an ecology professor at Pondicherry University, said he had not heard of such large numbers of turtles stranded on any beaches in Tamil Nadu in at least three decades. Most of the carcasses were found near the state capital, Chennai, where typically only 100 to 150 turtles nest annually.
Initial necropsies revealed lung lesions and bulging eyes, indicating suffocation and drowning, likely from entanglement in fishing nets, according to environmental activist Yuvan Aves. He noted an unusually high number of male carcasses, suggesting the turtles may have been caught while gathering to breed.
Commercial fishing vessels are suspected of violating local laws, including a ban on trawlers within five nautical miles of the shore and requirements for turtle excluder devices on nets. In response, the Tamil Nadu government has caught 24 trawler boats operating illegally and formed a special taskforce to monitor fishing activity.
Wildlife warden Manish Meena said night patrols have been intensified to protect hatchlings. The mass death of a species that was once endangered and has only partly recovered due to conservation efforts has shocked local residents and activists.
