Mahakalapara/Rajnagar: With shoals of hilsa (ilisi) fish having been swept away to Odisha coast from the coasts of Bangladesh due to repeated lowpressures on the Bay of Bengal, illegal fishing activities in the prohibited zone of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary area near Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara district have witnessed a sudden increase. Late Saturday night, Forest department personnel arrested 11 fishermen while they were casting nets in the prohibited zone, and seized their trawler.
The accused were identified as Baburam Sahu (trawler driver), Anadi Kar, Bharat Das, Shibu Das, Anila Majhi, Hemant Majhi, Prasant Kumar Majhi, Subal Majhi, Mangal Das, Srimant Das and Hrushikesh Das. The accused fishermen hail from West Bengal and Balasore, while the fishing trawler, ‘Maa Durga’ has been registered in West Bengal. Twelve mobile phones, three quintal fish, a VHF, GPS and 13 large fishing nets were also seized during the raid.
A case was registered in this connection and the accused were produced in the court. When contacted, Forest Range Officer Pradosh Moharana said fishermen continue to sneak into the prohibited zone of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary and illegally cast nets in the seawater. “They enter the area late in the night to avoid surveillance by Forest personnel. However, we are keeping a close watch on the movement of trawlers at our base camp and taking action as and when needed,” he said.