Reduce turtle deaths by 20%, Greenpeace tells Orissa
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Bhubaneshwar, India: With turtle mortalities due to illegal fishing spiralling out of control, Greenpeace has presented the Orissa government with a clear ‘upper limit’ target for turtle mortality along the coast from Paradip to Chilika.
Criticising the government for failing to solve a recurring tragedy, Greenpeace demanded that the funds recently released by the Centre be utilised to undertake effective patrolling to prevent illegal trawling.
As of January 31 this year, 2,970 turtle carcasses have been counted along this stretch of the coast. Greenpeace is challenging the government to reduce the current rate of turtle mortalities by 20%, at the very least until the end of April. Admitting that this figure would itself be on par with turtle mortalities in the previous years, Sanjiv Gopal, Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace India said, “Turtle mortalities are sky-rocketing. At the very least, as a first step, the government should commit to keeping the total casualties this year on par with those in previous years.” He further added that this would require intensive patrolling to keep mechanised fishing out of turtle congregation areas. “The government then needs to set progressively depreciating mortality reduction targets for the coming turtle seasons,” he said. Funds not an issue Olive Ridley turtles throng Orissa’s coastline between November and May every year, with thousands killed each year by illegal fishing. Previously, state government officials had cited a lack of funds as the reason for their inability to protect the species. In 2007, the state government asked for and received from the Centre a sum of Rs. 2 crores for turtle protection. The funds were disbursed in November 2007. This amount was in line with a Greenpeace estimate of Rs. 2.02 crores needed for improved patrolling to protect turtles. Further, the Fisheries Department has also acquired two patrol vessels to enforce the no-trawling zones and protect both turtles and traditional fishermen. “Even though the resources are now available, it is ironic that the turtle toll until January 31 is almost 3,000 in the Paradip–Chilika stretch, a dramatic 76% increase from the average of the previous four turtle seasons. While reducing mortality to zero might not be practical, it is high time the government of Orissa demonstrates its commitment to protecting its turtles,” said Gopal. Illegal fishing and especially trawling has resulted in the death of over 100,000 turtles over the last decade. Even as illegal fishing in the Devi area continues unabated, the situation in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary remains unknown, with no independent verification of official figures possible. Further, the government is not open to joint efforts on monitoring the mortality of turtles in collaboration with conservation groups and NGOs, as this would reveal shocking levels of turtle casualties on the Orissa coast. Set limit to mortality rate While the government has maintained that annual mortalities from the last three seasons has not exceeded 4,000, estimates from several independent agencies place this at a range above 10,000 for every season. “While funds for turtle protection have now been allocated, Greenpeace also remains committed to resolving the concerns of traditional fishermen impacted by conservation measures, either through compensation of income lost or by the initiation of alternative income generation approaches,” he further added. Greenpeace has been monitoring the situation in the current turtle season (2007-2008), from November 2007, to ensure that the resources made available to the Department of Forests and Wildlife are utilised appropriately and effectively. Ironically, after the resources have been made available for patrolling, the situation has gone from bad to worse. As a first step, Greenpeace is calling the Orissa government and the Department of Forests and Wildlife in particular to put in place mechanisms, which would include regular marine patrolling, to ensure that the current rate of mortalities in the Devi region, are reduced. By way of an objective evaluation of these efforts, this would imply that the mortalities of Olive Ridley turtles in the Devi region does not exceed 3,760 for the current season. This would mean that the mortality for February, March and April 2008 does not exceed 790 or a drop in mortality by 21%. As part of its ongoing campaign to protect the Olive Ridley turtles, and the interests of traditional fishing communities, Greenpeace will continue to monitor the situation and wait to see how the Orissa government responds to this challenge positively, before taking any further action. Source: Greenpeace |
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