Six endangered, rare Turtles found dead on Karwar, Honnavar beaches

Karwar: 17 September 2024 (Bhatkallys News Bureau) The alarming impact of plastic pollution and other human activities on marine life continues to show on Karnataka’s coast, with six endangered sea turtles found dead on the beaches of Karwar and Honnavar in the last month. The carcasses included five critically endangered Olive Ridley Sea Turtles (ORST) and one green turtle. This brings the total number of reported turtle deaths in Uttara Kannada district this year to at least 24.

The discovery of the turtle remains, which included a green turtle and an ORST at Honnavar, and severely decomposed ORST carcasses at Karwar beach, was reported last week. Two months ago, a hawksbill sea turtle carcass had also washed ashore at Karwar. 

Due to the advanced decomposition of many of the carcasses, forest department officials and marine experts have faced difficulties in determining the exact causes of death. However, previous postmortem reports have identified common reasons for turtle deaths, including the ingestion of plastic, injuries from boat propellers, entanglement in fishing nets, and pulmonary infections.

Ravishankar, Deputy Conservator of Forests in Karwar, confirmed that nearly all of the 24 turtle deaths this year, except for six reported this month, were caused by external factors. In response, the forest department has initiated workshops and reorientation programs for local fishermen to educate them on the safe handling and release of turtles accidentally caught in nets. Ravishankar stressed that while turtles are not hunted or consumed in the region, their chances of survival diminish if injured turtles are released back into the sea without proper care.

According to data from ReefWatch Marine Conservation, nearly 90% of turtle deaths in the district are due to human interventions and habitat destruction. Dr. Manohar Nagre, a marine veterinarian with ReefWatch, pointed out that the major contributors to turtle mortality include entanglement in fishing nets, ingestion of plastic, blunt-force injuries, and lung infections.

The beaches of Karwar and Honnavar are significant nesting sites for Olive Ridley Sea Turtles, with female turtles arriving between December and May each year to lay their eggs. However, this fragile marine ecosystem continues to face challenges from human-induced threats, particularly plastic pollution and unregulated fishing activities.