• Rookeries:
  1. Morro Ayuta, La Escobilla, Chacahua, Piedra de Tlacoyunque, Mismaloya-La Gloria , Mexico
  2. Honduras, Guatemala
  3. El Salavador, Nicaragua
  4. Nancite and Ostional, Costa Rica, Panama
  5. Surinam
  6. Angola, Namibia and Skeleton coast
  7. Mozambique
  8. Madras and Orissa, India
  9. Sri Lanka
  10. Arnhemland, Australia
  11. Nasugbu, Batangas ,Cavite and Zambales - Philippines (See email below - 13 Feb, 199)
  12. Goa , India (see email below 6 March 2001)

  On Sat 13 Feb 1999, San-San Misa wrote:

  Dear Mr. Poland:

  I was looking into the distribution of Olive Ridley marine turtles in your page and noticed that there are no reports of nesting in the Pacific region. You are in for a pleasant surprise...
  Olive Ridley turtles have been reported to nest in the western coast of the Philippine islands. With the assistance of the officials from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, an office of our Department of Environment and Natural Resources, we have reported sightings of these precious turtles on the coast of Nasugbu, Batangas. Similar nestings have recently been reported in Cavite and Zambales, both on the western portion of our country.
  We are private citizens who own a beachfront property in the province of Batangas which we have frequented for the last 30 years. Sadly, our conservation efforts have begun only very recently (December 1998). We did not have any idea that turtles still nest in the area which was quite populated in the last years until a storm washed away some houses two years ago and the number of visitors diminished. Recently we have conducted seminars on the conservation of marine turtles among the fisherfolk who have been reported as the main predators of these turtles. They have been selling the eggs for the last 30 to 40 years. And so, the nestings have grown scarcer by the year. Nevertheless, we are committed to saving these turtles and preserving their existence in the area for as long as we can.
  We have released almost a hundred hatchlings into the sea in the last month. The eggs were previously found by a fisherman whom we convinced not to poach the eggs. Verifications with the Bureau have confirmed that these hatchlings were indeed the Olive Ridley.
  If you'd like to receive more information regarding the Olive Ridley in the Philippines, please send me an e-mail.
  Thank you very much.
  Very truly yours,
  Rosanna V. Misa
  san2misa@hotmail.com

          Email to EuroTurtle on 6 March 2001

The Forest Department in Goa started a protection project in 1998, identifying Morjim and Mandrem in North Goa and Palolem in the South as nesting beaches.

We recently stayed in Morjim and were delighted to see that this year the amount of nests has increased. The nests are protected by netting, are numbered, and the date of laying and approximate hatching is marked on a board next to each nest. In February 2000, there were 14 nests but this year 26 nests have been isolated. 

At the beginning of February, 684 hatchlings had made their way to the sea and hopefully, many more have hatched since. 

Best regards,

Steph Perkin & Ken Hill (London)

Observation shack and x2 nests -Morjim beach - Goa, India (Feb 2001 - S Perkin)

• Range:
  • Pantropical, living mainly in northern hemisphere.
  • Major colonies near continental coastal waters.
  • Olive turtles usually seen in large flotillas traveling between breeding and feeding grounds.
  • Hardly ever seen near Pacific oceanic islands.
• Population:
  • Positive trends but actual population unknown.
  • La Escobilla, Mexico: 800,000 nests on a beach which is less than 4km long (Márquez and Peñaflores, 1997)
  • Preban hunting - 138,000 nests per annum (1990)
  • Postban - 525,000 nests per annum
  • Big fluctuations