16,500 turtle hatchlings released into sea

Wildlife Department set a target of hatching 30,000 eggs this year

KARACHI:

As many as 16,500 hatchlings of the green sea turtles which lay eggs on the coastal areas of Karachi have been released into the Arabian Sea as their breeding season has come to an end, as per wildlife officials.

Every year, the green sea turtles, the only herbivore among different turtle species, come to Karachi's beaches, including Hawke's Bay, Paradise Point, and Sandspit, to lay eggs.

"We had set a target of hatching 30,000 eggs in the chamber, while 150 female turtles were tagged for breeding," Ashfaq Memon, in-charge of the Sindh Wildlife Department's Marine Turtles Conservation Unit, told The Express Tribune.

"One green turtle lays 100 to 120 eggs at a time, while the hatching period is between 40 and 60 days," he said, adding that "the hatchlings are then released into the sea by our guards."

As per the Sindh Wildlife Department figures, around 900,000 baby turtles have been released into the sea since 1975. "The measures adopted by the Department to protect the green sea turtles have paid off as an increasing number of turtles are now turning up at more coastal sites of Sindh to lay eggs," Memon said.

Experts say that seven species of sea turtles used to be found in the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan two decades ago.

However, these numbers have now been reduced to only two due to marine pollution and commercial and recreational activities on the coasts.

Alarmingly, among the remaining two species, the olive ridley sea turtle has also become extinct. No living olive ridley turtle has been spotted on the beaches of Karachi since 2010.

Zoologists, marine scientists, and environmentalists wonder why the olive ridley turtles have stopped coming to Sandspit beach.

They agree that some factors, such beach pollution, increasing boating, overfishing, rampant use of harmful nets, stray dogs and abundance of eagles, crows, could have been the reason for the disappearance of this specie from Karachi's coasts. The olive ridley is a sensitive turtle specie and quick to perceive any danger.

Experts say that piles of garbage on Sandspit beach also contain large quantities of plastic bags, which are a major hindrance to the breeding of female turtles. If not checked, this could also endanger the green sea turtle population with potential to threaten their existence.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2023.