Puri: The officials of Chilika Development Authority (CDA) have launched a crackdown on illegal fishing and seized as many as 35 boats for being operated illegally in Chilika Lake Friday.
Acting on complaints on ongoing rampant illegal fishing activities in protected areas of Nalabana Bird Sanctuary, a part of Chilika, officials of the CDA raided the jetty and seized the boats.
CDA additional chief executive Sasmita Lenka informed that despite repeated warnings, some local mafia and people with criminal background have been carrying out extensive illegal fishing in the prohibited area.
Nalabana sanctuary is a protected wildlife refuge spreading across an area of 1555 hectares of dense green forests and a large ecosystem of several species of birds and aquatic animals.
PNN
