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Marine Turtle Newsletter 23:1-2, © 1982

Editorial

Readers of this newsletter receive it free; nothing is asked except an interest in the subject. This time, however, we ask readers not to give money but to write to Mrs. Ghandi about the slaughter of turtles in India.

Huge numbers of olive ridleys nest along the coast of Orissa and West Bengal. At Digha, West Bengal, thousands of animals are killed each year (Bobb, D. 1982, India Today, 31, 64-65) and this has been confirmed by reliable sources. Not only are the turtles being killed despite legislation against commercial use, but in some cases unnecessary suffering is caused by cutting up the turtles before killing them (Dilip, op. cit.; see also "Turtle Slaughter in India", below). Off Gahirmatha, Orissa, "annually about 500 Ridley carcasses, the flippers of most of which are securely tied by iron, plastic or nylon wires are being washed ashore within our study area. This of course, represents a tiny fraction of the actual offshore catch" (Kar, C.S., ms.).

However, the situation is not straightforward. Meat from these turtles, and eggs from the beaches also, find their way into the markets in Calcutta. Here they go to feed, if not the very poorest people, at least people who need better nutrition. The price of turtle neat and eggs is not especially high; they are not just luxury items. Moreover additional nesting beaches for olive ridleys in Orissa have recently been discovered (see article by Kar, below).

We have here a classic clash between the immediate needs of people and the conservation of resources. In the long run, of course, these are compatible. There will be less food available if these ridley arribadas go the way of those at Tlacoyunque and Mismaloya in Mexico.

What is needed is not total prohibition but rational, or at least controlled, utilization. For instance, it might be better to concentrate on harvesting quotas of eggs, and leave the adults alone. During arribadas turtles often dig up eggs of other turtles. Many eggs are also destroyed by predators. A combination of protecting some of the eggs while taking others could leave as many or more hatchlings entering the water as if no intervention had occurred.

Other people will doubtless have different views about what should be done. But we do not feel that because this issue is complex the Marine Turtle Newsletter should remain silent about it. So we urge you, whatever your conservation philosophy, to write to Mrs. Ghandi, even if it is just a short letter asking her to look into the matter, and devote more research funds to devising ways of improving the situation. Nearly anything would be better than the present uncontrolled inhumane slaughter.

Letters should be respectfully worded for greatest impact, and should be addressed to:

Shrimati Indira Ghandi
Prime Minister of India
South Block
Central Secretariat
New Delhi 110011 India

There are still many olive ridleys left in the world. There is still great scope for conservation initiative and wise management to be effective now before the species is reduced to a remnant. If you have found this newsletter useful, whatever your views, please write to Mrs. Ghandi. And please send a copy of your letter to the editor of this newsletter. Please write now. The next arribadas of olive ridleys will soon be arriving on the west coast of Bengal.