In the last two weeks, more than 400 sea turtles, mainly of the species olive ridley, were found dead on the east coast of India, near Chennai. This tragic event is the most serious recorded in over two decades, surpassing the usual mortality levels in the region, which in a typical year ranges from 100 to 200 specimens.
Olive ridley turtles, classified as a vulnerable species, travel long distances in search of ideal beaches for nesting. However, they face multiple threats due to the reduction of their habitats, marine pollution, and the impact of fishing nets. These nets, designed to trawl the seabed, are pointed out by experts as one of the main causes of these massive deaths.
Shravan Krishnan, a volunteer from the Student Sea Turtle Conservation Network in Chennai, expressed his concern about the increasing deaths and the scarcity of nests on the east coast. According to Krishnan, so far this year they have only found four nests, a alarmingly low number compared to previous years.
Additionally, environmentalists and officials reported the daily appearance of at least 10 dead turtles in recent weeks, exacerbating the crisis.
![Tortugas marinas.](https://storage.googleapis.com/media-cloud-na/2024/12/ayudan-a-las-tortugas-marinas-300×169.webp)
## Ecological Importance and Conservation Challenges
Sea turtles play a fundamental role in the balance of marine ecosystems, as they feed on jellyfish, whose excessive proliferation could negatively impact ecosystems. However, female turtles face numerous challenges when nesting, such as the increase in human activity on beaches, global warming, and light pollution, which disorients the hatchlings.
Every year, more than 500,000 olive ridley turtles arrive at beaches in the state of Orissa to carry out the arribada, a phenomenon of massive nesting. However, only one out of every thousand hatchlings manages to survive to adulthood, highlighting the species’ fragility.
Conservation organizations are working intensively to protect these turtles, relocating nests to safe places and raising awareness about the importance of preserving their habitats. However, the recent increase in mortality poses new challenges for the conservation of this species vital for marine balance.
![Tortugas marinas](https://storage.googleapis.com/media-cloud-na/2024/09/tortugas-marinas-300×169.webp)
## What is the current status of sea turtles?
According to the environmental association SeaWorld, all sea turtles, except the flatback turtle, are classified as threatened or endangered on the U.S. Endangered Species List. As a result of this, U.S. authorities decided that it is illegal to harm or interfere in any way with a sea turtle or its eggs.
In fact, in the United States, there are different tools to help conserve the species such as national, local, and state-level protection laws to ensure their preservation.
Even countries like Costa Rica and Panama have adopted different laws and agreements where the consumption and trafficking of turtles, as well as any products derived from them, are considered illegal. They also guarantee the protection of this species through sustainable management measures, generation of scientific information on the population status of different turtles, and protection of feeding, breeding, and nesting habitats.
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