The satellite-tagged Olive Ridley turtle ‘Dhaval Lakshmi’ that was released into the water at Dahanu coast in Maharashtra`s Palghar has now reached Gujarat waters, officials said on Saturday.
According to the Mangrove Cell, “As on 22-12-2025, the satellite-tagged turtle ‘Dhaval Lakshmi’ continues to move further west from the Maharashtra coastline. Presently, it is more than 200 km west of Dahanu and about 83 km south of Somnath.”
The Dahanu Forest Division and the Mangrove Cell of the Maharashtra Forest Department, in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India, have successfully satellite-tagged an Olive Ridley female sea turtle at Dahanu in Palghar district.
Found entangled in a fishing net
The Olive Ridley turtle was found entangled in a fishing net on August 10, 2025. Fishermen carefully freed the turtle and, noticing injuries on both front flippers, handed it over to officials at the Turtle Treatment Centre in Dahanu under the Dahanu Forest Division.
The turtle underwent treatment at the centre and, after making a full recovery, the authorities decided to fit it with a satellite transmitter.
The Maharashtra coast has sporadic nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles. Until now, Olive Ridley sea turtles had been tagged only on the east coast of India. This is the first satellite-tagging project of an Olive Ridley sea turtle on the western coast of India.
Tracking migratory movements
A research project titled ‘Tracking the migratory movements of Olive Ridley sea turtles off the coast of Maharashtra’ has been commissioned by the Mangrove Foundation, Maharashtra Forest Department, to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). This Phase II study will help in understanding the movement patterns of Olive Ridley sea turtles off the coast of western India.
The findings of this project will help in understanding the population of Olive Ridley sea turtles on the western coast of India, their migration patterns, foraging grounds and behaviour. The Mangrove Foundation and the Mangrove Cell of the Forest Department are planning to undertake more such research initiatives to strengthen turtle conservation in Maharashtra.
Olive Ridley turtles are known for their long-distance migrations, travelling thousands of kilometres between their feeding and breeding grounds.
According to the Marine Turtle Action Plan for the year 2021–2026, “Indian coastal waters support five species of sea turtles found worldwide. These are the Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), Green (Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and Loggerhead (Caretta caretta). These five species of sea turtles occurring in Indian coastal waters are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. India is home to the largest known nesting population of Olive Ridley turtles. Except for Loggerhead turtles, the remaining four species nest along the Indian coastline and islands.”
The plan also states that between 40,000 and 11,00,000 turtles nest every year on Indian beaches. The number of nesting turtles varies annually, and the success of sporadic nests has been observed to decline due to predation and habitat degradation.
According to Forest Department officials, there are six nesting beaches in Sindhudurg, four in Raigad and 13 in Ratnagiri. The nesting season occurs between November and March every year.
Do you know?
A female turtle lays between 100 and 150 eggs at a time, and it takes 45 to 55 days for the eggs to hatch. Sea turtles play a crucial role in ocean ecosystems. They help maintain the health of seagrass beds and coral reefs, facilitate nutrient cycling, and provide habitats for other marine life. As sea turtle populations decline, their ability to perform these critical roles diminishes, affecting the overall health of the oceans. Ensuring the recovery of sea turtle populations is essential for sustaining healthy marine ecosystems.
About Dhaval Lakshmi
Olive Ridley turtle rescued: August 10, 2025
Fitted with satellite tag: November 20, 2025
Released at: Dahanu coast