With reference to 'Operation Olivia', which of the following statements is/are correct?

Question

With reference to 'Operation Olivia', which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It is an initiative of the Indian Coast Guard to protect Olive Ridley turtles along the coast of Odisha.

2. Operation Olivia is carried out during the month of August, which is the nesting time of Olive Ridley turtles.

Select the correct answer from the code given below:

1. A. Only 2
2. B. Neither 1 nor 2
3. C. Both 1 and 2
4. D. Only 1 (Correct answer)

Correct Answer

Option D — Only 1

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Only 1.

Key Points

• Statement 1 is correct. Operation Olivia is an annual initiative of the Indian Coast Guard to protect Olive Ridley turtles along the coast of Odisha.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. The operation is conducted from about November to May, covering the turtles' arrival, nesting and hatching season — not in August.
• Only statement 1 holds, giving option (d).

Additional Information

• Operation Olivia has been conducted since the early 1980s. The Coast Guard deploys ships, hovercraft, aircraft and helicopters to deter illegal trawling in the nesting zone and enforce the use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in fishing nets.
• The main nesting sites in Odisha are Gahirmatha (the largest rookery in the world), the Rushikulya river mouth and the Devi river mouth. Gahirmatha is a designated marine sanctuary.
• Arribada is the term for the mass synchronised nesting in which hundreds of thousands of females come ashore together over a few nights.
• Conservation status of the Olive Ridley: Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, listed in Appendix I of CITES, and given the highest protection under Schedule I of India's Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
• It is the smallest and most abundant of the sea turtles; the sex of hatchlings is determined by nest temperature, which makes the species particularly vulnerable to climate change.