Olive Ridley sea turtles have been coming to the Gahirmatha coast in Orissa for thousands of years for mass nesting. But for two consecutive years now they have failed to nest here, though they have shown up

Illegal fishing activity near the shoreline is taking a major toll

Orissa chief minister J B Patnaik announced on May 22 that the Gahirmatha beach stretching up to Hukitola in Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary will soon be declared the "core area' where poaching

Of all things, sea turtles have become the substance of trade news these days. In March 1998, the US slapped a ban on the import of shrimp from India on the plea that trawlers which fish for