Chennai: Wildlife officials in the city collected more than 2,000 olive ridley sea turtle eggs from 18 nests along Elliot’s Beach and Marina Beach on Tuesday night, marking one of the most productive single-night collections this nesting season.The data indicates a sharp rise in nesting compared to last year. In Jan this year, officials recorded 63 nests, nearly three times the 23 nests documented in Jan 2025. In Feb so far, 119 nests have been identified, with total egg collection touching 14,061.State forest secretary Supriya Sahu said each nest averaged over 125 eggs, a highly encouraging indicator for the endangered species. Over the past 41 days, the turtle walk team identified 100 nests along the coastline, including two natural or “wild” nests, and has already released the first batch of 88 hatchlings from those sites, Chennai wildlife warden Manish Meena said.Officials attributed the surge in nesting activity and egg collection this season to enhanced patrolling, targeted awareness programmes and sustained conservation efforts. Supriya Sahu said intensified joint patrolling by forest and fisheries department personnel had significantly reduced sea turtle mortalities, enabling better monitoring of nesting sites and more effective egg collection.Another major factor has been a focused outreach campaign in fishing hamlets using tom-tom announcements to inform coastal communities about the nesting season and to request fishermen to avoid fishing within the prohibited five nautical mile zone. Alongside the increase in nests, the number of dead turtles washing ashore has dropped dramatically.In Jan last year, around 1,500 carcasses were found along the Chennai coastline. This year, only a few instances have been reported, Sahu said.Biologists noted that awareness about sea turtle conservation has risen substantially over the past decade. Long-term efforts, they said, have contributed to a gradual recovery of wild populations.
