Kendrapara: The absence of a demarcated sea line has often led to a confrontation between fishermen and the Forest and Coast Guard personnel as they are all set to enforce the seven-month-long fishing ban from November 1 ahead of the breeding season of rare Olive Ridley turtles at Gahirmatha in Kendrapara district. The Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary situated within Bhitarkanika National Park limits in Kendrapara district is the world’s largest rookery of sea turtles. The rare turtles travel thousands of miles in sea to reach Gahirmatha coast to lay eggs and they are set to reach their breeding destination within some days. The place will be filled with lakhs of turtle hatchlings if the environment remains conducive during the breeding season.
Accordingly, the state government will impose a seven-month-long prohibition on fishing activities within 20-km range of coastline in the marine sanctuary areas from November 1 to May 31 for the protection and safety of the turtles. The restrictions have been able to provide a safety cover for the turtles but fishermen in the area are not happy with it. They alleged that the restrictions will prevent them from fishing in the sea depriving them of livelihood for a long period.
Moreover, what they get as compensation during the period is only peanuts and falls short of meeting family expenses. Despite restrictions being imposed within the 20-km coastline of the marine sanctuary, there is no clear demarcation in the sea yet. This is why, the fisherfolk lamented, that they often get into conflicts with Forest and Coast Guard personnel while fishing in the sea. There have been instances where bitter disagreements have flared up into a law and order situation in the sea. Local intelligentsia and fishermen said that the area under the ban can be demarcated by using floating plastic balls (known as Baiyan in local parlance) in the sea as the nesting site in Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is a specific spot on the coastline.
Office bearers of the fishermen association Arjun Mandal, Sumant Biswal, and Ratnakar Das said that the state government will impose a seven-month fishing ban in Gahirmatha for the nesting of the sea turtles. During this period fishermen will be asked not to fish from Mahanadi river mouth to Dhamra till 20 km from the coastline. The Forest department is not identifying and demarcating the coastline for which the fishermen always suffer, they added. In the past, a fisherman from Balasore died during a clash with Coast Guard personnel in mid-sea.
Earlier, four persons including three fishermen and a forest official were killed during an exchange of fire in the sea. Moreover, as the area of fishing ban in the sea has not been demarcated the fishermen are always at the receiving end of the Forest, Marine Police, and Coast Guard personnel. More than five fishermen are arrested every year during the period of fishing ban.
When contacted, forest ranger Pradosh Moharana rejected the charges. He said that now every boat and trawler is fitted with GPS systems which help the fishermen identify the area of the fishing ban. However, the fishermen are violating the order and entering the prohibited area on some pretexts to fish in the area. As a result, hundreds of cases are registered every year during the period of fishing ban, he added