Karnataka: Olive ridley turtles rescued in Kundapur

UDUPI: Two injured sea turtles have been rescued and are being treated in Kundapur. Forest Department officials along with volunteers from Clean Kundapur Project and Field Services and Inter-cultural Learning - India, have rescued two injured olive ridley sea turtles to the ReefWatch Marine Conservation Centre, in Kundapur on Thursday. Dr Shantanu Kalambi, veterinarian, Reef Watch Marine Conservation said that the turtles are now being given fluids and treated for their wounds. He is assisted by Dr Medha Rao. The rescue operation has been supported by Range Forest Officer Prabhakar Kulal.
Dr Shantanu told TOI, last month we recorded at least 14 dead sea turtles from Gokarna to Mangaluru. Many sea turtles washed up onshore in the state were due to being entangled in fishing nets. “Out of the eight reported strandings of sea turtles over the last 10 days in Kundapur, two were severely injured while one was found dead,” he said. Ghost nets are discarded fishing nets disposed of in the sea and are a growing problem in coastal areas. They result in the deaths of numerous wild marine species and studies have shown that they can hamper fish stocks over time, especially in areas under intense fishing pressure. “We hope the Fisheries Department takes cognizance of this growing issue and can establish proper disposal systems for fishing nets going forward,” Dr Shantanu added.
Last year, Marine Megafauna Stranding Network had documented the carcass of 36 sea turtles and eleven dolphins across Karnataka’s coast.