Balochistan’s Coastal Turtles Under Threat from Rising Pollution

Zareef Baloch

Quetta: Aquatic life along the Balochistan coast is under significant threat, particularly endangering turtles.

Historically, the beaches of Balochistan were safe havens for marine life. However, due to rising sea levels and increasing human activity, the coastline has become densely populated.

Pollution is rampant due to insufficient awareness and education among people, who often disregard the importance of turtles.

According to experts, turtles’ diets consist of jellyfish and other aquatic organisms near the coast. Excessive pollution and the harvesting of jellyfish are preventing turtles from thriving in their natural environment.

Turtles also play a crucial role in water purification, which is essential for the well-being of other marine species.

Pollution Threatens Turtles

Pollution poses a major threat to the sea turtle population in Pakistani waters. Beaches are littered with garbage, and tourists exacerbate the problem by discarding plastic bags and other plastic materials.

Shoaib Kayani, an assistant professor at Karachi University, notes that only green turtles come to Pakistani beaches to lay their eggs, and they suffer significant mortality as a result.

According to the WWF website, turtles return to the beaches three to five times a year to lay eggs, with a female laying around 116 eggs per session.

Abdul Raheem Baloch states that only one in a thousand baby turtles survive, highlighting the severe risks these turtles face.

Conserving sea turtles can be achieved by protecting nesting beaches through the involvement of indigenous communities, minimizing bycatch issues by adjusting net length, width, and mesh size, using turtle excluder devices (TED) in shrimp trawlers, designing turtle rehabilitation programs, and conducting research projects supported by academic institutions, he added.

Mohammad Muzzam Khan, Marine Technical Advisor for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), reports that from 1999 to 2008, WWF, in collaboration with the local organization Darran Conservation Society, conducted research on green turtle breeding along the Daraan Jiwani coast in Balochistan.

During this period, they protected 2,731 turtle nests and safely released 91,936 hatchlings into the sea, Khan informed PenPK.com. 

Yar Mohammad Dashti, Deputy Conservator of the Forest and Wildlife Department in Gwadar, states that in 2023 and 2024, the department released 22,523 turtles into the sea. They also collaborated with local communities to protect sea turtles in various coastal areas of Gwadar and conducted awareness sessions with the local community.

Sudheer Baloch observes that currently, no governmental or non-governmental organization is actively working to safeguard turtles along the Balochistan coast.

He notes that, in the recent past, WWF raised awareness among local fishers, resulting in fishers now releasing accidentally caught turtles back into the sea.

Recently, Mohammad Akbar Baloch, a captain of a croaker fishing boat, shared a video on social media showing a green turtle being released alive.

Abdul Raheem Baloch adds that pollution can be controlled through the enforcement of pollution regulations and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all industries directly or indirectly involved in turtle conservation areas.

Entanglement issues can be mitigated by implementing fisheries regulations and gear restrictions. Habitat rehabilitation can be enhanced through conservation measures, legislation, enforcement of regulations, and the declaration of protected areas for sea turtles.

Balochistan Turtles Threatened

According to the WWF, human activities over the past two centuries have heavily impacted the survival of sea turtles, which are hunted for their eggs, meat, and skin. They face threats such as poaching and over-exploitation.

Additionally, habitat destruction and unintentional capture, known as bycatch, further endanger their populations.

Abdul Raheem Baloch, Deputy Director of Marine at the Gwadar Development Authority and a marine expert, highlights numerous survival threats faced by green turtles. These include bycatch in fisheries, accidental collisions with ships/boats, and predation by larger animals during egg-laying periods.

Furthermore, entanglement in abandoned and lost fishing nets also contributes significantly to their mortality. Recently, climate change-induced beach erosion has emerged as a critical detriment to the entire turtle ecosystem.

Netting Turtle Tragedy

According to WWF Pakistan, entanglement in fishing nets is the most serious threat to marine turtles.

To gather data on turtle entanglement, WWF Pakistan initiated a study in 2012, which revealed that 30,000 sea turtles are caught annually in tuna gillnets used by fisheries in Pakistan.

Sudheer Baloch, a marine expert from Gwadar, explains that during June and July, local fishers use gill nets to catch croaker fish, leading to the death of many turtles.

He added that each year, numerous green turtles perish due to entanglement in croaker fishing nets, which are set in the foraging areas of these turtles.

All information and facts provided are the sole responsibility of the writer.

Photo Credit: Zareef Baloch