Had been to Rushikulya during my trip to Odisha in December. We had liaised with the DFO for the region and accompanied the team on a patrol speed boat and subsequently a trawler in the waters upto 8km offshore. We were blessed with amazing skies and calm blue seas.
We managed to spot about 25-30 mating pairs of Olive Ridleys between 300m to upto 6km offshore. What was even more heartening to see was the almost negligible no of carcasses on the beaches this time compared to earlier where rotting carcasses were a common sight during this time of the year. Earlier lack of patrolling gave way to incessant fishing which led to a lot of deaths by the turtles being caught in fishing nets or being hit by propellers. Great to see this change.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM + 1.4x TC (With B+W Circular Polariser)
SS 1/320 (+2/3 EC)
f/8
ISO 800
Full Frame Image. Critiques welcome.
PS: Note the Male Olive Ridley's claw to hold on to the female during mating.
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