Common Name: Olive Ridley, Pacific Ridley;
Scientific Name: Lepidochelys olivacea
Population: Approx. 800,000 nesting females
The were once butchered for food or accessories, now Olive Ridleys are getting into extinction and all over the world efforts were made to protect them as well as their habitat
Illegal fishing practices like dynamiting, cyaniding, illegal netting and harvesting the eggs of olive ridleys in our local waters have been rampant, thus there’s a high mortality of adult olive ridleys.
We at Punta Fuego, together with the Nasugbu government, SM Development and all the local barangays have been working together in recruiting and training Bantay Dagat organizations in each of our barangays, who will work with the Nasugbu Police to apprehend and penalize people caught participating in illegal fishing practices and establishing a number of Marine Sanctuaries where no boats and no fishing will be allowed so that the coral reefs and fisheries can be protected and flourish
Here are some facts about Olive Ridley:
1. They look very similar to its sister specie, Kemp's ridley, but has a deeper body and slightly up-turned edges to its carapace.
2. They are migratory, often travelling thousands of kilometers between feeding and nesting sites.
3. The average length is 70 cm, and adults weigh approximately 45 kg.
4. Overall color is olive green.
5. Found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, along the Atlantic coasts of West Africa and the Atlantic coasts of South America
I have been in Punta Fuego for 7 years and I have seen a dramatic reduction the the fisheries and destruction of our coral reefs. If something isn’t done about it soon, there will be no more Olive Ridleys to worry about.
If any of you would like to get more involved in working on these activities, your participation would be most welcome. You can contact Save the Oceans thru info@puntafuegovillage.com. We appreciate your interest in these activities and thank you in advance for whatever you would be willing to do to support this work.
