Satellite Tagging of Olive Ridley

Recently, satellite tagging of Olive Ridley sea turtles began on Chennai beaches.

About Satellite Tagging of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

• Satellite tagging is being used for the first time on Chennai beaches to monitor Olive Ridley turtles using radio telemetry during the nesting season.
  • Satellite tagging is a wildlife monitoring technique in which a small electronic transmitter is attached to an animal to track its movement, behaviour, and habitat use in real time via satellites.
• Conducted By: Jointly implemented by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC), Vandalur.
• Key Features
  • The two-year study (2025–2027) covers the Chennai coast and vulnerable nesting sites including the Cauvery delta to monitor Olive Ridley sea turtles.
  • Using hourly satellite telemetry during the November–April nesting season, 10 turtles will be satellite-tagged and 1,000 flipper-tagged for long-term monitoring.
• Purpose of tagging
  • To map migratory routes, foraging grounds, and nesting behaviour of Olive Ridley turtles.
  • To study interactions between turtles and fishing activities, helping reduce bycatch.
  • To support evidence-based conservation policies, improve protection of nesting beaches, and strengthen India’s marine biodiversity conservation efforts.

About Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)

• The Olive Ridley turtle is the smallest and most abundant sea turtle species, named after the olive-green colour of its carapace.
• Habitat: It inhabits warm tropical and subtropical marine waters, preferring coastal areas near estuaries and bays for nesting.
• Distribution: Olive Ridley turtles are found in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans.
  • In India, major nesting occurs along the Odisha coast, Andaman Islands, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka (the only western-coast rookery).
• Diet: They are omnivorous, feeding on algae, jellyfish, crabs, lobsters, molluscs, and tunicates.
• Nesting Practice: A unique feature is arribada, a mass nesting phenomenon where thousands of females lay eggs simultaneously on the same beach.
• • In India, major arribada sites include Gahirmatha, Devi River mouth, and Rushikulya in Odisha.
  • Each female lays about 100–140 eggs.
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
  • CITES: Appendix I
• Threats: Major threats include bycatch in fishing nets, coastal development, climate change, marine pollution, illegal harvesting of eggs, and predation by stray animals.

Conservation Efforts in India

• Operation Olivia by the Indian Coast Guard to protect nesting turtles along Odisha’s coast
• Seasonal fishing bans and use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) to avoid bycatch.
• Protected nesting beaches like Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary
• Ex-situ conservation, including hatcheries in Chennai and Odisha.
• NGOs such as Students’ Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN) works alongside the Forest Department in managing the hatcheries
• Scientific monitoring through flipper tagging and radio telemetry by Wildlife Institute of India.

Check Out UPSC CSE Books

Visit PW Store

Conclusion

Satellite tagging marks a major advance in India’s marine conservation by enabling science-based protection of Olive Ridley turtles and strengthening efforts to reduce bycatch and safeguard critical nesting habitats.

DOWNLOAD PDF