The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has set up ‘climate-resilient’ hatcheries for Olive Ridley Sea turtles.
As many as 10 hatcheries — two each in Chennai and Nagapattinam, one each in Villupuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tirunelveli, Ramnad, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari have been established.
Warmer temperatures are known to produce a higher proportion of female hatchlings and cooler temperatures lead to a higher proportion of males from the nests.
The Sea turtles exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination with pivotal temperatures close to 30°C.