Kendrapara: Ten fishermen were arrested Friday for fishing illegally after sneaking into the prohibited zone of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.
Two fishing vessels were also seized by the protection squad, a forest official said. “The fishing vessels had trespassed into the prohibited sanctuary corridors contravening the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act and mandatory rules of marine sanctuary,” said forest ranger Subrat Patra.
The crackdown on unlawful sea fishing has been stepped up to make the turtle concentration zone isolated from human interference. The Coast Guard has also launched an exercise along the serene sea waters of Gahirmatha to protect the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles during their mating season.
The traditional marine fishermen who formed the crew of the impounded vessels were from Balasore, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts. They were later remanded in jail custody under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1982, he said.
Four patrolling vessels have been pressed into service with a contingent of 50 armed policemen to intercept fishing trawlers engaged in illegal fishing in Gahirmatha. The operation is being jointly conducted by the Coast Guard, forest and police and fisheries department after the marine turtles began their annual breeding season earlier in November, said DFO, Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest division, Bimal Prasanna Acharya.
PNN