Rajnagar: Mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles in the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary under this block in Kendrapara district has come under serious threat due to illegal fishing at prohibited zones of the sanctuary, a report said.
The matter came to the fore after Gahirmatha range officer Debashis Bhoi lodged a complaint of attack on a team of forest officials by the fishermen at Talachua marine police station, Tuesday.
He stated that a patrolling team of forest officials were injured in an attack by the fish mafia during a raid on a group of fishermen fishing in a prohibited zone late Monday night.
Five forest officials on board a patrolling boat were injured in the attack. Attack has spread panic among forest officials engaged in the turtle protection drive in the sanctuary.
They apprehend that attacks on the patrolling team by the fish mafias are not new but a frequent occurrence might cost them their lives someday.
Reports said that mass nesting of Olive Ridley had started in phases in Babubali island and other adjoining beaches following the arrival of female turtles.
The incident happened when a team of 14 forest and police officials led by forester Sanjay Kumar Das was patrolling in the prohibited zone. They caught fishermen in a trawler New Janani-1 fishing in the sea about 4-km from the Babubali island and asked them to leave the area.
However, the fishermen in the trawler called up 10 other trawlers and tried to ram the patrolling boat to drown it in the sea. As a result, the rear portion of the patrolling boat broke down and water started entering inside.
The forest officials, however, managed to escape safely at the coast, the forest ranger said.
PNN
