Sea turtle research and conservation

Five species of sea turtles are known from the Indian Seas and all are today protected and are placed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which prohibits trade in turtle products places these species in Appendix I of the Convention. AUfive species have very wide distribution and there has been a traditional subsistence fishery for the green turtle Chelonia mydas along the Tuticorin Coast which has now been phased out. A new event in the recent past was the explosive development of an outlet for the olive ridley in the Calcutta-Howrah markets chiefly from the Orissa Coast, despite the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act. This happens mainly during the mating and mass nesting of this species along the Gahirmatha Coast of Orissa and the capture is mainly in the gillnet fishing operations. This has been reported in detail in Marine Fisheries Information Service, Technical and Extension Series, No. 50 of this Institute. Incidental catch of turtles in fishing operations has been a matter of great concern and only an intensive extension programme can help to minimise the mortality from this source