Mahakalapara: Nesting of Olive Ridley turtles in a proper manner at Gahirmatha sanctuary in Kendrapara district have gone for a toss. This has happened as hundreds of illegal fishing trawlers have anchored at Bahakud ferry ghat near Mahandi river mouth here due to the cyclonic storm Jawad, a report said.
These trawlers illegally enter the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary to catch fish and transport those outside the state. These illegal fishing trawlers from Balasore, Bhadrak, Dhamra, Balaramgadi, Kashaphala, Digha and neighbouring West Bengal areas catch large amount of fish from the sea and earn handsomely from the sale of those. They employ local fishermen from Mahakalapara and Rajnagar areas to avoid getting into any trouble during fishing.
Reports said that these trawlers were found fishing in the Gahirmatha sanctuary area for years together in complete disregard to the fishing ban imposed by the Forest Department for protection of the Olive Ridley turtles. They even do not fear the Forest officials patrolling in the area and get into fights with them on the slightest pretext.
The Olive Ridley turtles travel thousands of miles and come to Gahirmatha sanctuary for mating and nesting. However, rampant fishing by these trawlers is the biggest threat to the endangered turtles. The threat comes in the form of accidental entanglement of the turtles in the nets of the fishing vessels that scour the sea in the sanctuary.
These trawlers use a special kind of fishing net known as ‘Ganja’ net which entangles the turtles during fishing and eventually leads to their death. The fishing nets remain in the sea for five to seven hours during which the turtles get caught inside and die, stated a fishermen requesting for anonymity. However, the Forest and Coast Guard personnel said that such illegal fishing inside the sanctuary area do not take place.