Car Nicobar | February 20, 2026
Teetop Fish Landing Centre seashore in Car Nicobar Island has emerged as a recurring nesting web site for the Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), with constant nesting exercise documented over the previous a number of years by means of community-led conservation efforts.
Researchers from ICAR–Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CIARI), Sri Vijaya Puram, in collaboration with native tribal fishermen, have recorded repeated nesting occasions at Teetop Beach between 2023 and early 2026. The observations have been made below a joint initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and ICAR-CIARI.
According to researchers, the documented nesting patterns, supported by the standard ecological information of Nicobar tribal communities, point out that the seashore serves as a secure and recurring reproductive floor reasonably than a sporadic nesting location.
In 2023, greater than 150 Olive Ridley hatchlings have been rescued, protected, and safely launched into the ocean by means of coordinated efforts by native fishermen. While nesting observe marks have been noticed through the 2024 and 2025 seasons, hatchlings couldn’t be positioned throughout these years. However, in early February 2026, the seashore as soon as once more witnessed profitable nesting, with over 100 hatchlings safeguarded and launched, reaffirming the ecological significance of the positioning.
The Olive Ridley turtle is globally recognised for its mass nesting behaviour, generally often called arribada. The repeated nesting occasions at Teetop Beach spotlight its significance as a micro-nesting habitat throughout the Nicobar group of islands.
In view of the continued nesting and hatchling emergence, researchers and neighborhood members have known as for the formal designation of Teetop Fish Landing Centre seashore as an Olive Ridley nesting web site. Such recognition, they are saying, would assist be sure that future developmental actions — together with growth of fish touchdown amenities, coastal infrastructure tasks, and shoreline modifications — are undertaken in alignment with sea turtle conservation methods.
The improvement underscores the rising position of neighborhood participation in wildlife conservation throughout the islands and the necessity to steadiness coastal improvement with ecological preservation.
