Kendrapara: Protection of rare Olive Ridley sea turtles has taken a backseat in Kendrapara district with the district administration yet to fully implement the two orders delivered by Orissa High Court in this connection, March 16, a report said.
Reports said that Orissa High Court had ordered installation of GPS (Global Positioning System) in fishing boats and trawlers moving in and around the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary and clear the area of illegal prawn gheries for protection of the rare turtles.
However, the district administration has only partially implemented the first order, while it is yet to take any step regarding the second order, the report said.
Meanwhile, over 90 fishing boats and trawlers have been installed with GPS and plans are afoot to install more boats with the system in phases.
The GPS system will prevent the boats and trawlers from entering the prohibitory zone of Gahirmatha. Gahirmatha marine sanctuary is the world’s largest rookery of the sea turtles which is visited by thousands of these rare turtles for mating and mass nesting.
Moreover, the High Court had also directed the authorities to identify the illegal prawn gheries through satellites, demolish them and register cases against the prawn farmers.
Locals and environmentalists, however, lamented that the demolition work of the prawn gheries is not satisfactory. There have been reports of many turtles dying after getting stuck in fishing nets.
Many dead turtles sustain injuries, which points the possibility of them being trapped in a trawl or gill nets, said Hemant Rout, environmentalist and secretary, Gahirmatha Marine Turtles and Mangrove Conservation Society.
He said that both fishing boats as well as illegal prawn gheries have mushroomed in the 15,000 hectares of the marine sanctuary posing grave threats to the sea animals.
Toxic gases and wastes emanating from the gheries are discharged into the sea resulting in the death of the turtles. He said the demolition work of the gheries in the district is quite disappointing and the district administration should initiate strong actions.
He alleged that administrative negligence is leading to coastal erosion as well as the death of marine and wild animals. Turtles also die as many fishermen dump damaged fishing nets, plastic bottles, polythene and other hazardous materials into the ocean, he said.
Manas Ranjan Sahu, Director of Marine Fisheries department, said over four lakh turtles visit Gahirmatha every year for mating and mass nesting.
During this period, restrictions on fishing is imposed on over 1435 sq.km in the sea extending from Dhamra in Bhadrak district to Hukitola island in Kendrapara district.
Initially, it was difficult to demarcate the mating and nesting sites of the turtles in the sea due to the fishing boats, trawlers and gill nets entering the sea and lead to death of the turtles. Later, floating buoy barriers were installed from the coast up to 20 km in the sea.
However, these floating buoys failed to be any use as they were not installed in properly. As a result, fishing boats and trawlers continued to enter the prohibitory zone. To prevent such influx, installation of GPS has been made mandatory for every boat, he added.
Haladhar Sethy, president of Kendrapara Fishermen’s Congress, so far GPS has been installed in 90 boats and the remaining boats and trawlers will have the facility soon.
The work is progressing at a slow pace due to Covid restrictions in the state. Even as fishing ban has been lifted from June 15 normal fishing activities are yet to resume in the area.
Only a handful of 30 to 40 fishing boats and trawlers have gone into the sea for fishing at this time.
DFO Bikash Ranjan Dash said illegal prawn gheries are being identified and demolished at regular intervals, while action is being taken against the fishing boats and trawlers entering the prohibitory zone in Gahirmatha.
PNN