Rapid Fire
Operation Olivia
- 21 May 2025
- 2 min read
Indian Coast Guard (ICG)’s annual operation, ‘Operation Olivia’ has achieved major success by protecting over 6.98 lakh Olive Ridley turtles nesting at the Rushikulya river mouth in Odisha.
Operation Olivia:
- It was launched in the early 1980s to protect Olive Ridley turtles during their breeding and nesting season along the Odisha coast.
- It aims to ensure safe nesting grounds for these turtles, by preventing unlawful trawling, particularly at Gahirmatha Beach and nearby coastal area of Odisha.
Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea):
- About: It is the smallest sea turtle species in the family Cheloniidae, identified by its olive or grayish-green color and heart-shaped carapace.
- Nesting:They are omnivorous and known for the mass nesting event called arribada, where thousands of females nest together, migrating up to 9,000 km over Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans.
- Major nesting sites include Gahirmatha, Rushikulya and Devi River mouth in Odisha and the Andaman Islands.
- Threats: It includes bycatch, poaching, habitat loss, plastic pollution, and climate change effects.
- Protection Status: Protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (Schedule 1), IUCN Red List (Vulnerable), and CITES (Appendix I).
| Read More: Mass Nesting of Olive Ridley Turtles |
