Coastal communities have exploited sea turtles for centuries. In the 1950s, organised
fisheries were developed to capture turtles in many parts of the world; sea turtles were
considered an important exploitable fishery resource due to their high commercial value.
Turtle meat and eggs were seell as a basic protein source for coastal populations.
In India, Jacob (1973) highlighted the potential of sea turtle resources. Organised trade
in turtle products existed prior to the eighties (Dattatri 1984, Rajagopalan 1984, 2000).
It is estimated that 50,000-80,000 adult olive ridleys were captured off the Gahirmatha
coast every nesting season up to 1981-82 (Das 1985).
In September 1977. the five species of sea turtles that occur in Indian waters were
included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. As a consequence
of the implementation of regulatory measures, organised capture and trade decreased,
though illegal trade persisted till the mid-1980s. While the threat from targeted capture
and trade decreased, incidental capture of sea turtles in gear operated for other species
of fish and shellfish has become more significant over the years. The interaction of sea
turtles with fisheries has become an area of critical importance in many parts of the
world (Gerosa and Casale 1999, Vivekanandan 2002). In India tOO, incidental capture
in gill nets and trawls has become a serious threat to sea turtle populations (Rajagopalan
et a11996, 2001, Pandav and Choudhury 1999, Wright and Mohanty 2002). Due to an
increase in the number of fishing units, and also improvement in technology, incidental
bycatch has increased in recent years to the extent that it is the most significant cause of
sea turtle mortality in Indian waters
