Forest personnel have taken into custody 14 fishermen for 'unlawful' fishing activity at Gahirmatha marine sanctuary, the protected area for nesting of the rare Olive ridley turtles, forest officials said today.
Two motorized boats used by the intruders for fishing in the sanctuary area were also seized by the patrolling unit of the forest department yesterday near unmanned Chinchidi island.
The fishing vessels had trespassed into prohibited sanctuary corridors contravening the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act and mandatory rules of marine sanctuary, the officials said.
The 14 fishermen were forwarded to jail custody today under sections 27 and 29 of the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1982, they said.
Prohibition on sea fishing is in force round the year within the marine sanctuary limits. However, sea patrolling is stepped up within the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary from November to May every year in view of the annual mass nesting season of endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles.
Last year, at least 172 fishing trawls were seized from Gahirmatha area during turtle nesting season from September 1 to May 31 and 363 fishermen were taken into custody.
The crew of fishing vessels and marine fishermen communities had been warned not to venture into marine sanctuary area even after the turtle nesting season is over.
The fishermen were also sensitized on restrictions imposed on human activities in the marine sanctuary, said Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division, Bimal Prasanna Acharya.
Forest department officials said about 60,000 turtles had arrived at the Nasi-2 nesting ground from March 16 to March 23 last year to lay eggs on the sandy beach.
However, the mass nesting figure was on the lower side as an estimated 4.14 lakh female turtles had turned to dig pit and lay eggs on the nesting beach during 2015.
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