10 more fishermen nabbed from Odisha's Gahirmatha turtle habitat

Ahead of the annual mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles at the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, forest officials on Monday arrested at least 10 fishermen on charges of illegally fishing within the turtle congregation zone.

The trawlers used by the intruders for fishing along the prohibited sanctuary area were also seized by forest patrol teams.

The Gahirmatha beach is expected to witness the mass nesting in the first fortnight of March.

The fishermen arrested from Kendrapara district were subsequently remanded to judicial custody, according to Assistant Conservator of Forests, Manas Das.

The fishing vessels entered prohibited sanctuary corridors contravening the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act and mandatory rules of marine sanctuary, he said.

With the latest arrests, around 330 such fishermen have been apprehended and 30 sea-worthy vessels seized since November 1 last year, the forest officials said.

The Odisha government had clamped a seven-month trawler fishing ban along the 20-km stretch (Dhamara-Devi river mouth) from 1 November in view of the mass nesting of the endangered Olive Ridley marine turtles.

However, the fishing prohibition remains enforced round the year in Gahirmatha, as it is accorded the status of marine sanctuary.

More than 3 lakh lakh Olive Ridley turtles had turned up for their annual exercise in the May 2024 mass nesting season. The marine animals are yet to appear on the Gahirmatha beach for mass nesting this year.

(With PTI inputs)