Olive Ridley turtles thrive: With over 34,500 eggs, numbers surge across Goa's beaches

Panaji: Goa’s turtle nesting season this year saw a total of 34,630 Olive Ridley turtle eggs laid across ten beaches. The highest number of eggs was recorded at Agonda beach with 13,654 eggs, followed by Morjim with 10,983 eggs.

The lowest count was reported at Anjuna, with just 132 eggs. Of the total eggs laid, 7,752 were found to be dead.

“We are trying our level best to protect this coastal ecosystem with the cooperation of the Drishti Marine Stranding Network, the departmental staff, NGOs, and the efforts of the locals. This successful protection design has resulted in large turtle egg laying on the beaches of Goa,” the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Kamal Datta told TOI. He commended the efforts of Drishti and the locals. “Goa has one of the best marine stranding networks in the country, meticulously documenting and treating marine animals washed ashore.

The locals go out of their way to ensure that all turtle eggs that are laid outside of the protected turtle nesting sites are immediately brought to the attention of the rescue team, following which they are relocated to the closest nesting site,” he said.Over the past few years, the figures were only a little above 10,000 eggs per season. In 2023, however, the season yielded 16,312 eggs, following which 2024 saw a bumper nesting where the figures more than doubled when 45,493 eggs were laid.

Comparing this season to 2024, Datta said, “This is a biological occurrence and cannot be predicted mathematically. The egg-laying follows a three-year cycle where numbers fluctuate, coming down and then rising again. Since turtles travel thousands of miles to reach these nesting sites and encounter several challenges, many factors influence these numbers worldwide.”In a bid to enhance conservation, the state forest department is planning to designate Galgibaga beach as a marine reserve.“The forest department is already protecting Galgibaga beach, but now the forest minister has told us to intensify conservation measures and establish a marine reserve there. With these efforts, we can continue preserving the Olive Ridley turtles and their fragile coastal habitat,” the PCCF said.