12 fishermen were seized for violating the rules of the reserved area. On November 22, forest officials arrested them on charges of illegal fishing in the sea at Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.
The investigation revealed that the arrested fishermen are residents of West Bengal. They regularly travel between Shankarpur village within Mandhramahi police limits of East Medinipur district. As they may do this in the future, their fishing trawlers have also been taken away as punishment.
When was Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary declared as a protected area?
Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary is the only marine sanctuary in Odisha. Gahirmatha is located in Kendrapara District. This Marine Sanctuary is home to the giant olive ridley sea turtle. Millions of Olive Ridley turtles migrate here from Sri Lanka’s coastal areas to lay their eggs every year in winter. However, this species is currently endangered. out of only 1 out of 1000 hatchlings, survives in the battle for life.
In 1997, the Government of Odisha declared the area as reserved area due to its ecological importance.
Restrictions for the area
Despite the continued ban on illegal fishing using mechanized trawlers on Gahirmatha Beach, illegal trawlers continue to pose a serious threat to nesting Olive Ridley turtles every year.
As the area is vast and under heavy fishing pressure, local vessels and vessels from neighboring states such as West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh roam freely.
Hence the Odisha government has taken strict precautionary measures to closely monitor illegal fishing in the region. Forest guards have been deployed to catch fishermen violating the ban.
As per the provisions of the Odisha Marine Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA), 1982, a seven-month fishing ban on trawlers in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary was issued by the Marine Fisheries Department from November 1 to May 31, 2024.
To protect the endangered Olive Ridley turtle, the government has directed marine fishermen not to fish within a 20-km radius of the coastline of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, which covers 1,435 square kilometers from Hukitola to Dhamra.
Judgement
Pradosh Moharana, range officer of the sanctuary, said that the arrested fishermen were fishing in the sea of the protected sanctuary with a trawler in violation of this rule. Hence a case has been filed against the fishermen under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. They were brought in court at Rajnagar and their bail pleas were rejected. They were then sent to judicial custody.
16 camps including two offshore at Madali and Babubali islands have been set up by the authorities to protect the turtles in the marine sanctuary. Apart from the Coast Guard. personnel from maritime police stations in Talachua, Jamboo and Paradip will assist forest officials in preventing illegal fishing this year, Moharana said.
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