On the happier side of the news spectrum, two large olive ridley turtles were saved by Drishti lifeguards deployed at the Versova beach, in Mumbai, on July 10, 2020.
The olive ridley sea turtle, also known commonly as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is usually greenish in colour. It has, therefore, been accordingly named as olive ridley with regards to its skin and shell, or carapace. These turtles have nesting sites all over the world, especially on tropical and sub-tropical beaches. Mostly carnivorous, these turtles feed on jellyfish, snails, crabs and shrimp.
The turtles were rescued as the beach cleaning team informed Amol Nanavar, the lifeguard supervisor, about one of the olive ridley being stuck in the fishing net. The second turtle was spotted by lifeguard Nikhil Bhanji while he was patrolling. According to sources, the turtle was wedged between rocks, unfortunately, with damaged and missing flippers. Both the turtles were immediately taken to the office of the forest officials on-site and have been handed over for medical care since.
This instance of the turtles getting entangled in the fishing nets is one of the problematic impacts of overfishing on marine life. The fishing nets in which the marine mammals get entangled are commonly called ghost nets. Ghost nets are fishing nets that have been left or lost in the ocean by fishermen. These nets are hazardous to turtles and other marine life as they continue to actively catch fish, sea snakes, cetaceans, turtles and other marine animals. Every year, thousands of mammals get trapped in these nets and find it difficult to escape.
According to a report produced by FAO and UNEP, these abandoned fishing nets could remain in the marine ecosystem for very long periods of time. To create awareness about the issue, many companies like Adidas, Interface, Volcom, Bureo have created consumer products from recycled nets to encourage recycling, further emphasizing the need to be cautious regarding putting waste into the ocean.
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