The Forest Department in has intensified its crackdown on illegal fishing within the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary, a crucial habitat for endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles, in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.
On Thursday, the forest department officials arrested eight more marine fishermen on charges of illegal fishing along the turtle habitation zones in the sanctuary.
The officials have seized their vessel, nets and other equipment used in the fishing.
With the recent interception, the total number of fishermen arrested for sanctuary intrusion since the November 1 sea-fishing ban enforcement has gone up to approximately 120, officials informed.
Around a dozen sea-worthy vessels have also been seized in the process since November 1.
The arrested fishermen, who hail from the Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts, were remanded to judicial custody under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The Olive Ridley turtle is listed as a Schedule I animal under the Act due to its highly threatened status.
Earlier, the Odisha government imposed a seven-month-long trawl fishing ban along the 20 km stretch of the Dhamara-Devi river mouth from November 1 in view of the ensuing mass nesting of endangered Olive Ridley marine turtles. However, the fishing prohibition remains enforced round the year in Gahirmatha as it is accorded the status of a marine sanctuary.
The fishing ban is critical because the turtles face high mortality rates. They often become entangled in fishing nets for extended periods, leading to death by asphyxiation, or they are killed after being struck by the fast-moving propellers of fishing trawlers, forest personnel said.
