Satellite Transmitter to track the movement of Olive Ridleys

Kendrapada, Dec 4: The Wildlife Institute of India(WII) and the Orissa forest department have decided to use satellite Telemetric Transmitter on Olive Ridley sea turtles to observe their movements during the nesting season.

Official sources said at least 70 Satellite Telemetric Transmitters would be fitted on the sea turtles arriving at three nesting places-Gahirmatha, Rushikulya and Devi river mouth of Orissa coast to lay eggs.

With the help of the transmitter fitted on the turtles, the forest department would be able to get more information on their behaviour, movement and the location from where they migrate for annual sojourn to Orissa coast.

The WII under UNDP programme had fitted four Satellite Transmitter during 2001 on an experimental basis on female Olive Ridley sea turtles and released them into the sea to observe their movement but failed to track the location of the turtles in the deep sea. But this time it was decided to use modernised Satellite Telemetric Transmitter on turtles.

Official sources said the Ministry of Forest and Environment had formed a committee, which had suggested that the transmitter would be fitted on turtles, to observe the movement of turtle in the Orissa coasts.

Accordingly the Sattelite Telemetric Transmitter would be fitted on the turtles either in the last week of January or first week of February. However, the experiment would be carried out after the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Wheeler island approved the project.

Meanwhile, sporadic nesting of the Sea Turtles has started on the sandy nesting ground of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary inside Bhitarkanika National Park and also at Rushikulya, Bhitarkanika Forest official claimed.

To protect the sea turtles, the Forest Department has banned all types of fishing within a 20 km radius of the Ganiramatha marine sanctuary from November one to May 31.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO)at the wheeler island inside the Bay of Bengal had been approached to mask the lights of the missile test range during the mass-nesting.

The forest officials have set up 12 onshore and three offshore camps at Babubali, Agarnasi and Barunei under Gahirmatha marine sanctuary to protect the olive Ridley sea turtles and watch the illegal entry of trawlers to the sanctuary during the ban period.

UNI