6,000 olive ridley eggs collected

The forest department has collected as many as 6,000 olive ridley eggs from the coast and sent them to hatcheries in different parts of the State.

Forest Range Officer V.Gobinath said as olive ridleys play a crucial role in maintaining marine ecology, steps had been taken to preserve them and ensure safety at artificial hatcheries set up across the coast to protect hatchlings.

The coast, from Vanagiri in Sirkazhi taluk to Kodiyakkarai in Vedarnayam block in the district, is a favourite spot for the endangered turtle species. The annual nesting season falls between middle of November and the end of March every year.

The department has collected as many as 6,000 eggs from the coast and sent them to 10 hatcheries including at Vanagiri, Pazayaru, Koozayaru, Rameswaram, Vettaikaranyiruppu, Pusphavanam, Arkattuthurai, Maniyan Theevu and Kodiayakkarai.

The collected eggs would be safely housed at artificial hatcheries till their incubation period which would be something between 45 to 60 days.

As soon as the hatchlings come out, they will be released into the sea.

The olive ridley conservation programme was under way in Nagapattinam coast under the Tamil Nadu Bio-diversity Greening Project.

As many as 20 fishermen in the local hamlets have been employed temporarily for collecting eggs and preventing poaching, if any.