Forest department officials arrested 16 fishermen on Thursday for illegally fishing within the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary’s turtle congregation zone in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, an official said.
The arrests were made by forest patrol teams who also seized the trawler allegedly used for fishing inside the prohibited sanctuary area, he said.
The arrested fishermen, who hail from the Bhadrak and Balasore districts, were later remanded to judicial custody, according to Assistant Conservator of Forests, Manas Das.
Das stated that the fishing vessel had trespassed into the prohibited sanctuary zone, thereby violating multiple laws, including the Wildlife Protection Act, the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act, and specific marine sanctuary rules.
Protection measures in Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary have been intensified since November 1. On the night of November 5, a large trawler was intercepted and seized for illegally fishing inside the sanctuary.#Gahirmatha#TurtleProtection@CMO_Odisha @ForestDeptt @pccfodisha… pic.twitter.com/Y3Q8bTMfxD
— DFO MANGROVE ODISHA (@dfomangrovefdwl) November 6, 2025
The Gahirmatha sanctuary is a crucial nesting site for Olive Ridley sea turtles.
The state government had imposed a seven-month fishing ban from November to May 31 next year in three river mouths along the coastline in a bid to ensure safe and harmonious mass nesting (arribada) of Olive Ridley turtles.
As per the notification, issued by the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development department earlier, the ban will be in force along a 20-km stretch of Dhamra, Devi and Rushikulya river mouths.
To protect sea turtles from being trapped in fishing nets or struck by the propellers of fishing trawlers, the use of motorized vessels, trawlers, and all mechanized fishing techniques has been strictly prohibited in several critical coastal stretches, including Scott’s Island and Udabati North stretch of Dhamra, Kuluni-Muhan-New Devi Nassi Island stretch of Devi and Prayagi-Aryapalli stretch of the Rushikulya river mouths.
