A high-level review meeting, likely to be chaired by Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam, has been scheduled for January 20 in response to the recent deaths of sea turtles in Chennai.

Over the past week, scores of Olive Ridley sea turtle carcasses have washed ashore, with approximately 80 found along the ECR coast.

Conservationists report that the number has reached 150 between Marina and Neelankarai, and close to 200 turtles have been discovered further south in Chengalpattu. The mortality is higher than in the previous few years.

In light of this situation, the Forest Department will assess the matter and evaluate awareness initiatives.

On Thursday, a Forest Department veterinarian conducted a post-mortem on one of the 20-odd turtle carcasses found at Injambakkam, while another was sent to the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University.

Both examinations indicated that the turtles had been dead for at least three days, making it difficult to determine the exact cause of death. The decomposed state of the carcasses and their swollen appearance suggest drowning as a likely cause.

Further, a forest official in Pulicat said the number of dead sea turtles washing ashore there have been slightly higher than normal.

Chennai Wildlife Warden Manish Meena said that an emergency alert had been issued to the Fisheries Department and the Coast Guard.

Cause of death

One possible cause of death is the nets used for squid and cuttlefish fishing. These nets, which extend over a kilometre and are weighted at the bottom, can trap turtles, preventing them from surfacing for air, leading to suffocation, according to Mr. Meena.

He added that Forest Department teams would educate fishermen at Kovalam and Kalpakkam about the risks of using these nets.

Additionally, district forest officers in Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu have been notified of the issue.