Kendrapara: The beaches at Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary have turned into graveyard of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles mainly due to illegal fishing.
Hundreds of Olive Ridley sea turtle carcasses were dispersed along the stretch of beach in Ekakula, Satabhaya, Habalikhati, Pentha, Nasi-I and Madali coasts under the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, one of the largest rookeries of the species.
However, the forest officials claimed that the turtle death toll is on the lower side this time at Gahirmatha due to the tight vigil and surveillance on fishing.
Not less than 40 turtle carcasses were lying in the sandy beaches under Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary from Paradip to Dhamra over the last few days.
Wildlife activist Ranjan Kumar Das claimed that turtles are dying in several strategic locations and the accidental deaths of the marine creatures are due to uninterrupted trawling in Gahirmatha.
The endangered turtles, protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, are killed when they are trapped and get entangled in the nets of mechanised fishing vessels during the mating season.
Though the State Fishery (Marine) Department has prohibited fishing within 20 km off the coast from November 1 to May 31 2020, the illegal fishing is going on in the banned zone, despite the tall claims of tight patrolling within the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.
The forest personnel were engaged in burying the dead turtles, but the carcasses are still laying in some of the beaches, alleged wildlife lovers.
In the recent past, fishing vessels congregated and made an attempt to attack the forest team during a raid while chasing a fishing boat for catching fish illegally within the prohibited zone. Though the forest personnel fired in the air, the fishermen did not run away. The forest personnel later returned empty handed.
According to forest official sources, as many as 426 turtle carcasses were spotted within Bhitarkanika National Park since November 1.
In the ongoing turtle season the forest personnel of Gahirmatha range have intercepted about 32 fishing vessels and also arrested 315 fishermen for illegally catching fish in the ‘no fishing zone’ of the sanctuary, said Bikash Ranjan Dash, DFO of Rajnagar Mangrove (Forest ) and Wildlife Division.
PNN