Berhampur: Odisha forest officials have seized two fishing trawlers from Andhra Pradesh for alleged illegal fishing near the Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam district, violating the seasonal ban, an official said Friday.
The trawlers, containing over 70 kg of fish were seized, and eight fishermen were handed over to the Marine Fisheries Department, he said.
To protect the endangered Olive Ridley turtles during their breeding and mating season, the state government has imposed a seven-month ban on sea fishing within 20 km of the coast at the Rushikulya, Dhamra and Devi river mouths from November 1 to May 31.
During joint patrolling by forest staff, police and fishery personnel, the Andhra Pradesh fishermen were found operating in the prohibited zone, said Dibya Shankar Behera, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Khallikote.
“After thorough verification, we have handed over the seized items along with the detained fishermen to the fishery department to take action,” Behera said.
“We have registered a case against the fishermen under the Odisha Marine Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA), 1982,” said Devadutta Mohanty, assistant fishery officer, Ganjam.
Rushikulya mouth is considered one of the major rookeries for the Olive Ridley turtles as thousands of the marine creatures visit the area for mass nesting.
PTI
