Supreme Court’s framework reinforced

• The NGT’s order leaned heavily on directions issued earlier by the Supreme Court of India in Arnav Sinha v. State of West Bengal & Ors (Civil Appeal No. 288 of 2021).
• In that case, the apex court had taken cognisance of similar turtle deaths along the coasts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
• The top court had mandated the appointment of a national nodal officer under the Union Ministry of Environment.
• Constitution of state and UT coordination committees headed by the chief wildlife wardens.
• Preparation of state-specific standard operating procedures (SOPs) targeting major causes of turtle mortality, including trawl and gill net entanglement.
• Submission of bi-annual action taken reports.
• Strict enforcement of ‘Turtle Excluder Devices’ (TEDs).
• The Centre approved a budget allocation of Rs 57.72 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) with Rs 34.64 crore as its share to support the nationwide distribution of TEDs .
• The Supreme Court had directed that at least 50 per cent of fishing vessels install TEDs within 12 months of the October 5, 2025 notification, with an effort to achieve 100 per cent implementation within that period.

Light, noise, nesting season

• Beyond fishing practices, the NGT also examined the impact of coastal light and noise pollution.
• A memorandum dated January 28, 2026, issued by the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department, regulates artificial lighting and sound disturbances during the nesting season from January to April.
• The measures include switching off or minimising non-essential lights facing the shore at night.
• Prohibiting loudspeakers and public events near nesting sites.
• Disallowing temporary lighting on beaches and coastal roads.
• Sensitising local bodies, residents and commercial establishments.
• Artificial lighting can disorient hatchlings, causing them to move inland instead of toward the sea, drastically reducing survival rates.

From news reports to judicial scrutiny

• The case was registered suo motu by the NGT following a news report dated January 16, 2025, which stated that 350 turtles had washed ashore dead along the Chennai coast.
• Reports in newspapers suggested the toll had crossed 500 within days.
• Taking cognisance of the alarming headlines, the NGT initiated proceedings on its own motion and sought detailed responses from the Centre, the Tamil Nadu government, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, the fisheries and forest departments, and later, the state of Andhra Pradesh.
• Early assessments indicated that most of the turtles likely died after becoming entangled in fishing nets, particularly squid nets laid approximately three nautical miles from the shore in the evening and retrieved the following morning.
• If trapped overnight, the turtles would drown before the nets were pulled back in.
• The NGT noted that the Olive Ridley turtle is a Schedule I species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, meaning it receives the highest degree of legal protection in India.

State action reports

• The Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department filed multiple action-taken reports beginning January 31, 2025.
• These referred to existing government orders prohibiting mechanised fishing within a five-nautical-mile radius of identified nesting and breeding sites.
• Among the measures cited included charge-sheeting 24 fishing boats for violating the Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulation (TNMFR) Act.
• GPS-based monitoring of fishing vessels operating within restricted zones.
• Authorisation of the ‘Coastal Security Group’ and ‘Marine Enforcement Wing’ to step up surveillance.
• Mandatory installation of TEDs in trawl nets.
• Despite these steps, statistics submitted by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) covering the period from 2020–21 to 2024–25 showed a steady surge in turtle mortality.
• The data, the NGT observed, painted a troubling picture, enforcement measures existed on paper, yet the number of dead turtles continued to climb.

Andhra Pradesh’s role

• The state of Andhra Pradesh later impleaded in the proceedings, reporting that it has been conducting awareness drives among marine fisherfolk in coordination with the forest department, marine police and coast guard.
• It also stated that eggs are being collected and safely relocated to hatcheries during breeding seasons to ensure higher survival rates.

New conservation infrastructure

• During the hearing, advocate D Shanmuganathan, counsel for Tamil Nadu informed the NGT that the state government has laid the foundation for its first ‘Sea Turtle Conservation Centre’ in Chennai.
• The facility is expected to support research, telemetry, data management, training and capacity building in marine conservation.
• The state also highlighted intensified night patrolling along nesting beaches and sensitisation programmes for fishing communities, including the distribution of TEDs.