Turtle deaths: NGT flays govt for failing to curb violation by trawlers

CHENNAI: The southern bench of National Green Tribunal on Tuesday intensified scrutiny on the Tamil Nadu government’s failure to prevent mass deaths of Olive Ridley turtles along the Chennai’s coast during the ongoing nesting season. The bench comprising judicial member Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member K Satyagopal raised concerns about the lack of actionable steps despite repeated directives. The enforcement of Tamil Nadu Marine Fisheries Regulation Act’s provisions that trawling should not be done within five nautical miles of nesting sites and the mandatory need to include turtle excluder devices in trawler nets have been found to be severely lacking. Reminding the government of its responsibility, the bench said, “You have not shown us any substantial steps taken to stop turtle deaths.” The tribunal urged immediate action, including enforcing a ban on fishing using trawlers during nesting seasons and ensuring widespread TED installation.