Olive ridley turtle - Population & Distribution

Highest concentrations in Orissa, India

Current Population and Distribution
Olive ridleys have not been recorded from the Gulf of Mexico or Florida, but occur through the Antilles, around the north coast of South America, in West Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australia and southeast Asia. There are also many important nesting and feeding grounds on the east Pacific coast from as north as Canada to as far south as southern Peru.

Nesting occurs at low frequency throughout much of its range, with the highest concentrations of the olive ridley found on the coast of Orissa state, India. The principal beaches are Garhimatha, Ruchikulya and Devi River mouths. On the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, the main nesting beach is Nancite, and La Escobilla on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. Populations in northern Australia and south-east Asia are known to be different genetic stock to the Orissa turtles.

Populations of olive ridleys are reported to have declined in Pakistan, Myanmar, Malaysia and Thailand, and possibly on the east coast of India, south of Orissa and in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

World-wide numbers of marine turtles are almost impossible to estimate, considering the wide range of these migratory animals. On nesting beaches it is possible to estimate numbers of mature females, however not all nesting beaches have been surveyed and on those that have, numbers may be inaccurate due to uncertainty on how many times an individual nests in a season. A recent estimate of 800,000+ female olive ridleys has been made.