Fixing a miniature tag on the hatchlings of Loggerhead sea turtles in the US holds the key to preventing the large-scale death of Olive Ridley turtles in India. United States National Marine Fisheries Service marine ecologist Mridula Srinivasan said such an effort had helped researchers to keep track of the hatchlings once they moved out of their nesting sites, to the water. In the US this tag was developed and introduced on the hatchlings of a sea turtle three years ago. The hatchlings were tracked for 220 days and they travelled distances that ranged from 200 to more than 4,300km, she said.Mridula Srinivasan is in Chennai for two months on a US government fellowship under which she will create awareness on marine ecosystems. Tagging is not an expensive thing but downloading the data from the satellite is expensive. However, Argos, the company that has owned the satellite data gives discount to developing countries. Similarly, her organisation also can share information about the tagging system, but that needs to be properly implemented, she said. A new research on how noises in the ocean affect sea turtles has been started by her organisation. The frequencies range audible to turtles and their longevity are the major aspects of study. The age can be calculated by examining the rings on the shell. Apart from this, ‘Stable Isotope Analysis,’ which will analyse the feed of sea turtles, their habitat, its condition and related information is also being done, she said. The feeding habit varied from one species to another. Even in the US, the turtle excluding device (TED) is used. Even before introducing the device, the researchers conducted a study on how much loss was incurred during fish catch, when the TED is used. However, the study showed that only a small percentage of loss was incurred by fishermen. Like in India, there too some fishermen do not accept the use of TED, especially shrimp trawlers, she said.
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