Panaji: The olive ridley turtle nesting season has recorded a decline in the number of nests and eggs this year, with figures lower than those recorded in 2025, which had followed a strong 2024 season.According to the forest department data, Morjim beach — one of Goa’s most important turtle nesting sites in North Goa — recorded 83 olive ridley nests this season, yielding a total of 8,599 eggs and 7,578 hatchlings so far.By this time last year, North Goa recorded approximately 18,000 eggs, of which 12,857 hatchlings were released into the sea at the time.Goa forest officials said such variations are not unusual in olive ridley nesting cycles.“It is not always uniform. Turtles sometimes skip one or two nesting seasons and then return to the same coasts again. So, the nesting pattern may never remain constant every year,” said deputy conservator of forests Jiss Varkey.This year, nesting activity from South Goa beaches shows that Galgibaga recorded 19 nests, with 2,189 eggs and 1,719 hatchlings released, while Agonda reported 51 nests, producing 5,504 eggs and 4,448 hatchlings released. Combined with Morjim, Goa has thus far recorded about 16,292 eggs so far in the season.Last year, during the 2025 nesting season, Goa witnessed strong olive ridley arrivals, with turtles laying 34,630 eggs across 10 beaches in the state.The all-time record came in 2024, when olive ridley turtles laid 45,493 eggs, the highest ever recorded on Goa’s coastline. The fluctuations become even more striking when viewed against earlier trends. In 2022, Goa recorded around 16,312 eggs, while in several years before that, annual nesting numbers hovered only slightly above the 10,000-egg mark.Marine experts note that Olive Ridley turtles are highly migratory and sensitive to a range of environmental factors.“This decline is likely due to a combination of factors, including increased human activity, climate change and reduced conservation capacity on the ground,” said OCEAN managing trustee and marine conservationist Sarita Fernandes.“Sea turtles are extremely sensitive to environmental changes. There is significant human activity both at sea and along the coast, and even developments occurring far away in the Indian Ocean region can affect marine habitats. While these are still scientific assumptions, it is possible that a combination of climate impacts and human disturbances has hindered nesting this season,” she said.The olive ridley turtle, named for the distinctive olive hue of its heart-shaped shell, is among the world’s smallest sea turtles, but also the most widespread and abundant. The nesting season usually begins in the last week of Dec and continues till May-June.
