Turtle rescues by small fishermen on the rise

CHENNAI: Turtle conservationists could have something to cheer about this season. After a meeting with the fishing community addressed by Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Vasisht, the reported instances of fishermen releasing entangled sea turtles from their nets are on the rise. Despite this, concern continues to linger over trawl boats that continue to employ harmful practices that are behind majority of sea turtle fatalities.Volunteers of the TREE Foundation, that works on sea turtle conservation along the coastal stretch from Thiruvanmiyur to Marakkanam had organised a meeting of fishing community volunteers and Wildlife Wing officials at the beginning of the Olive Ridley nesting season. Speaking at the meeting, Vasisht had appealed to fishermen to release turtles that were entangled in their nets after recording data about them. He had handed out government forms for the fishermen to record data such as estimated turtle age, sex, species and dimensions, to be handed over to Forest Department officials.So far, volunteers have been called to record data, rehabilitate and oversee the release of six sea turtles. Twelve instances have also been reported, where fishermen did not require the assistance of conservationists to rehabilitate the turtles and released them from their nets while at sea.“This is new to us. The meeting with the Chief Wildlife Warden seems to have borne fruit. Such data collection could go a long way in improving our understanding of what kinds of turtles feed and breed at what kinds of places in the sea,” says Supraja Dharini, chairperson of TREE Foundation, which has the Sea Turtle Protection Force comprising fishing community volunteers in every village along its stretch.While this rising trend is heartening news for conservationists, they also point out that the real and present danger to the sea turtles is posed by fishing trawlers.“The trawlers use harmful fishing practices, thanks to which the diversity of marine species has dropped drastically over the years. For years conservation groups have been calling for Turtle Excluder Devices compulsory for trawl boats,” says Akila, coordinator of the Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network.“Top government officials have repeatedly instructed lower level officials to ensure the fitting of Turtle Excluder Devices on trawl boats, but implementation has been impossible as these boats are owned by politicians and rich and powerful people who are above the law,” she says, adding that significant gains can be made by reining in trawlers.