Kendrapara: Eight fishermen were arrested for “illegally fishing” inside the no-fishing zone of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Kendrapara district.
All the arrested fishermen have been booked under various sections of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. They were produced before the JMFC Court in Rajnagar, which remanded them to judicial custody after rejecting their bail pleas.
According to Deputy Ranger Kapilendra Pradhan, forest personnel seized a GPS device, two fish finders, seven fishing nets, and about 25 kilograms of fish during the operation. The arrested fishermen are residents of Balasore district.
Ranger officials said a trawler named Bharati was found illegally fishing in the core area of the sanctuary near Ekakula. The trawler was intercepted, and the fishermen were taken into custody.
The Marine Fisheries Department has already imposed a seven-month fishing ban — from November 1 to May 31 — inside the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Kendrapara district to protect the mass nesting of endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles.
UNI
