Bhubaneswar: Nine fishermen were arrested on Tuesday for illegally fishing in the prohibited turtle congregation zone of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Kendrapara district.
Forest officials said the fishermen, hailing from Bhadrak and Balasore districts, had ventured into the sanctuary’s waters with a trawler, which was seized during the operation. They were later produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.
Fishing is strictly banned throughout the year in Gahirmatha, the world’s largest rookery of endangered olive ridley sea turtles, while a separate seven-month seasonal ban is enforced along a 20-km stretch between the Dhamara and Devi river mouths to protect the species during mass nesting.
Forest officials said the trawler had trespassed into the prohibited zone violating multiple conservation laws. Conservationists warn that olive ridley turtles are highly vulnerable to trawler activities, as many die of asphyxiation when trapped in nets or are fatally injured by propellers.
