A 36-year-old Juhu resident who has documented the carcasses of five marine species being washed ashore at Juhu beach since April 15 has not only raised an alarm over the rising number of deaths but also the absence of any study to find the reasons behind these deaths.
Reagan Creado who regularly visits Juhu beach for walks on Tuesday shared that he found a dead and probably half eaten olive ridley turtle carcass and decided to alert the Forest department helpline. In the last four days carcasses of two turtles and a porpoise had been found on the beach.
According to Creado, he hoped that the authorities will take an initiative to know more about the deaths of these endangered mammals. Pradip Patade, Convenor of Ocean Conservation Education Awareness Network (OCEAN) who has been documenting the marine life around Mumbai coast said that over the years he has seen an increase. It could be the change in the wind directions with oncoming monsoons. "There has never been any study carried out on this issue and also the cause of death cannot be ruled out. It is important that a long-term observation and data collection on the carcasses of such marine species found be carried out," Patade said.
Mihir Sule, member of Konkan Cetacean Research Team said that such carcasses being now reported by citizens all over is an encouraging sign as it shows that people are concerned. “It's important that such incidents of carcasses being found on the beaches or shores be immediately reported to the Mangrove Cell and should not be simply taken away by BMC to the landfills or be buried. It's important that a post mortem be conducted so that some database can be generated over a period of time, which will help in understanding this issue in a better manner,” he said.
