Mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles has been quite impressive this year at the Nasi-I and Nasi-II islands of Orissa's Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, considered to be the largest rookery for sea turtles in the world, according to official sources. The officials say nearly two lakh Olive Ridleys have laid eggs on the Gahirmatha beaches, which in fact has seen one of the highest turnouts of sea turtles in the area in the last few years. The nesting began on February 24 and continued for more than two weeks. In 2008-09, close to 1.67 lakh turtles had come to nest at Gahirmatha, but there was no mass nesting reported in 2007-08. The nesting figure stood at 1.41 lakh in 2006-07, while in 2005-06 it was around 1.13 lakh. The impressive turnout of turtles this year is a matter of relief for authorities in the State Wildlife Department as environmentalists were apprehensive that missile test fires at the Wheeler Island by DRDO and the construction of Dhamra Port in the close proximity would cause serious disruptions in the mass nesting process. Each Olive Ridley turtle lays between 150 and 200 eggs. It takes 45 to 50 days to hatch. The State Wildlife Department has set up a large number of camps to oversee smooth nesting as well as protection of the turtle eggs from stray dogs and jackals.