Kendrapara: After a gap of six and half months, fishermen are all set to venture into the sea from June 15
following the Marine Fishery Department’s decision to lift the ban on fishing 20 km outside the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary.
Manoranjan Mohapatra, Assistant Fishery Officer (Marine) of Mahakalapada block, has advised the fishermen going to sea to carry the registration certificate and licence of the mechanized boat or trawler used for catching fish as well as the biometric identity card. As part of precautionary coastal security measures, the fishermen have been asked to take safety measures while catching fish.
The Marine Fishery Department has also asked the trawler and motorised boat owners and the fishermen to paint their sea worthy boats red and the boot level in black as per the colour code approved by it. The department has also asked them to display the registered name and number of the trawler in yellow and black respectively.
The colour codes were made mandatory as they would differentiate the local trawlers from those coming from neighbouring states, stated Manas Ranjan Sahu, Assistant Director (Marine) of Fishery department.
Around 35,319 biometric identity cards have already been distributed to the fishermen in Jagatsinghpur district while nearly 39,078 IDs given to the fishermen of Kendrapara district, Sahu said.
Fishermen, who have Distress Alert Transmitters (DATs) should carry the devices with them while venturing into the sea and keep a close watch on suspicious vessels and the activities of crew members, Sahu said adding, the fishermen should inform the Assistant Director of Marine Fishery, Kujanga or coastal security personnel using DATs.
It may be noted that the State Forest Department had imposed a ban on fishing from November 1, 2017 to May 31, 2018 to protect the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles at Gahirmatha during their nesting season.
As the ban on turtle and fish breeding season is going to be lifted, preparations are in full swing at Talachua, Ramnagar and Kharanashi jetties.
PNN