Kendrapara: Odisha Forest department officials have arrested 16 fishermen near Gahiramatha Marine Sanctuary in Kendrapara district for illegally fishing within the turtle congregation zone, an officer said Sunday.
The fishing trawl, used by the intruders for fishing along the prohibited sanctuary area, was seized by the forest patrol team.
The intruders who were arrested are marine fishermen of Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur and Mayurbhanj districts. They were later remanded to judicial custody, said Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) Manas Das.
The fishing vessel had trespassed into prohibited sanctuary corridors, contravening the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act and mandatory rules of the marine sanctuary, Das said.
With the latest interceptions, around 300 fishermen have so far been arrested for acts of intrusion into the marine sanctuary, as the forest department is intent on ensuring the safety of Olive Ridley sea turtles, said forest officials.
It should be noted here that the state government has clamped 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.
The fishing prohibition remains enforced round the year in Gahirmatha as it is accorded the status of a marine sanctuary.
The mute species, accorded as a Schedule-1 animal under the Wildlife Protection Act for its highly threatened status, get entangled in the nets for prolonged periods and die of asphyxiation.
PTI
