This year, the good news is that Olive Ridley turtles have begun to feel comfortable on the shores of Goa, and the more often they come to lay their eggs, the merrier it is, because goodness can be sniffed naturally.
The 2023-2024 season is turning out to be one of the best for these turtles, that are actually in a precarious position or close to being extinct.
A Draft on Sea Turtle Nesting and Habitat Management Plan, prepared by the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), in 2020, had highlighted the plight of turtles in Goa and the way forward.
Four years down the line, the government has not acted, or reacted, to the draft, but the numbers of turtles visiting Goan shores have increased dramatically. And with that, the number of hatchlings released into the sea.
Four years down the line, the government has not acted, or reacted, to the draft, but the numbers of turtles visiting Goan shores have increased dramatically.
With over 400 turtles coming ashore and laying more than 14,000 eggs, it would not be far-fetched to say that this season has been a bumper one.
It is a bumper for a place like Goa because the work of making the environment free and clean for turtles was done by former fishermen and youngsters, who plunged into the pursuit of their love for turtles, and also because, for many, it was the best window for employment.
The 2020 draft reads: 'Based on the existing sea turtle nesting conservation practices and analysis of the nesting records, it is observed that from 2002-2003 till around 2016-17, the total number of nests on all four nesting sites per season, has been generally below ten (average value).'
The happiness in the faces of the turtle guards, employed by the Forest Department, is understandable and much appreciated because with whatever meager resources they have – that includes their low wages – they are doing a good job.
With over 400 turtles coming ashore and laying more than 14,000 eggs, it would not be far-fetched to say that this season has been a bumper one.
Being a turtle guard is a mean task. It entails walking through stretches of beaches at night, looking for turtles walking ashore, or sometimes maintaining tranquility on the beach, disturbed by party freaks or people who care little for turtles.
If anything, education has crept into the minds of locals and old habits of the past – particularly feeding on tortoises – has been kept back or intentionally forgotten with the emphasis now being on saving turtles or giving them their life.
This is the beginning of a beautiful mindset.
Despite the good work of the turtle guards, a deeper scientific study will go a long way in making Goa one of the best places for turtles, and this could be achieved by getting people with a scientific background to study, discover and suggest better ways to make our shores more welcoming.
'There is therefore scope to conduct research study to understand the migration, congregation, foraging areas of this set of turtles, dependent on Morjim and surrounding areas,' says the draft.
Being a turtle guard is a mean task. It entails walking through stretches of beaches at night, looking for turtles walking ashore, or sometimes maintaining tranquility on the beach.
A study is important because turtles are affected by sound and light, and hence, the restrictions around turtle nesting sites. And yet, many turtle guards believe turtles cannot hear.
This is wrong, but the guards cannot be expected to be right because most are former fishermen, whose education is elementary, and hence such beliefs and assumptions.
Goa is doing great in terms of turtle conservation, and that can be translated into a supreme feeling of individual satisfaction if science is blended into the prevailing set of methods being adopted.
There are many organisations ready to assist, provided they are invited to or given the permission, and that is not a tall task.
The results of 2023-'24 are clear indications that where there is a will, there is a way. The government of the day should broaden that way.
