Astarang (Puri): A patrolling team of the Forest Department on Thursday seized a fishing trawler and detained 15 fishermen onboard it for allegedly fishing in the prohibited area near Astarang in Puri district.
The fishing trawler ‘Sathi Mangala’ was seized for violating the seven-month ban on fishing from November 1 to May 31 imposed by the State government in three river mouths 20 KM inside the sea from the shore for protection of Olive Ridley turtles during mass nesting.
The seized trawler was towed to the jetty at Nuagaon and handed over to the Marine Fisheries Department.
The Forest Department’s patrolling team included Foresters Biraja Mohapatra and Tapan Nayak, Forest guard Abinash Khuntia and Nirmal Pradhan and staff of Indian Coast Guard.
Worth mentioning, the ban on fishing has been imposed on Olive Ridley nesting sites near three river mouths of Devi, Dhamra and Rushikulya in the state.
