KARWAR: The sea turtle conservation project launched by the Honnavar division of the Forest Department in 2005 is proving to be a great success with over 10,000 hatchlings being released into the sea since the commencement of the project.The project’s success lies in the fact that poachers themselves have become informers to the department regarding turtle nests on beaches.The sea beaches of Uttara Kannada district provide natural nesting ground for the Olive Ridley (L. Olivcea) sea turtle. Potential nesting beaches include Jali, Talmakki, Murdeshwar and Baindoor in Bhatkal taluk, Apsarakonda and Manki, Haldipur in Honnavar taluk and Dhareshwar, Baad-Kagal, Gokarn and Gangavali beaches in Kumta taluk.Normally, Olive Turtles crawl towards the beach for nesting from October to January where the female lays one to two clutches of eggs, each containing 30-168 eggs. It digs into the sand with its limbs to prepare the pit. After laying the eggs, the turtle covers the pits with sand before swimming back to the sea. The incubation period is about 50 days after which the hatchlings crawl slowly back to sea once they hatch.Although natural predators such as dogs, pigs, birds and snakes pose a threat to the eggs and turtles, humans are a far greater threat to their survival since turtle eggs are a delicacy in some coastal regions and turtles are poached for their meat and hide.Turtle conservation measures were initiated in the state in 1894 by the forest department by establishing 40 hatcheries. However not much attention was given to turtle conservation until 2003.In fact only two hatcheries in Jali in Bhatkal taluk and Marvante in Kundapur taluk were functional.Only in 2003, Forest Range Officer (RFO) Suresh Uddar, set up a sea turtle hatchery in Gangavali village near Gokarn on an experimental basis. Its success prompted the department to take up the conservation project more seriously.
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