Mahakalapara: Rampant poaching and smuggling of marine creatures like crabs and stingrays in the coastal pockets of this block in Kendrapara district has posed serious threats to their survival and population, a report said.
This has happened despite provision of rules for protection of marine creatures. The forest department has imposed restrictions on catching stingrays and crabs but these rules hardly deter the fishermen and traders as they carry out their business with impunity.
These crabs and stingrays have a very high demand among the seafood lovers for which fishermen residing along the coast are catching them from the sea and selling them in open markets for a premium.
They sail out into the sea in small fishing boats and catch these marine creatures which are mostly found along the coastline and in deep sea.
A stingray weighs between 5 to 25 kilograms and sells for Rs100-200 per kg in the market while the crabs sell for anything between Rs500-600. Unabated sales of stingrays can be seen at Ramnagar Bazaar, Jambu haat, Jagarijor haat and Batighar areas under the block.
The local traders pack the stingrays in bamboo baskets and transport them to Paradip, Balasore and Kolkata for sale as the fish has very high demand among fish lovers.
Locals said that the fishermen mostly harvest the stingrays from Chatkanasi on Hukitola rivermouth and from Mahanadi river mouth where these are abundantly available. Locals blamed the forest officials for this situation. They alleged that business is growing day by day as forest officials are making no effort to launch a crackdown on this illegal business.