Forest officials have arrested 17 marine fishermen and seized their fishing trawler on Sunday from the sea water of the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary of the Kendrapara district on the charges of illegally fishing within the turtle congregation zone, an official said. The fishing trawl, used by the intruders for fishing along the prohibited sanctuary area, was seized by the forest patrol teams. The intruders who were arrested are the traditional marine fishermen of the Balasore district. They were later remanded to judicial custody, said Assistant Conservator of Forest, Manas Das.

The fishing vessels had trespassed into prohibited sanctuary corridors contravening the provisions of wildlife protection act, Orissa Marine fishing regulation act and mandatory rules of marine sanctuary, added the forest officer. With the latest interception, over 100 fishermen have so far been arrested for acts of intrusion into the marine sanctuary as the forest department is intent on ensuring the safety of Olive Ridley sea turtles, said forest officials. 17 sea-worthy vessels were also seized in the process since November 1 enforcement of the sea-fishing ban.

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It may be noted here that the state government has clamped a seven month log trawl fishing ban along the 20 km stretch Dhamara- Devi river mouth from 1 November in view of the ensuing mass nesting of endangered Olive Ridley marine turtles. The fishing prohibition remains enforced round the year in Gahirmatha as it is accorded the status of marine sanctuary. The mute species, accorded as schedule-1 animal under wildlife protection act for its highly threatened status, get entangled in the nets for prolonged periods and die of asphyxiation. The turtles also perish in large numbers after getting hit by the fast moving propeller of the fishing trawlers, forest personnel said.

More than 3 lakh lakh Olive Ridley turtles had turned up for their annual sojourn for mass nesting earlier in May 2024 mass nesting season. The female turtles had emerged from the sea to crawl on to the serene beach, dig pits to lay millions of eggs, concluded the officer.