Eleven fishermen held for sneaking into marine sanctuary

The forest personnel has nabbed eleven sea-going fishermen on the charge of carrying out unlawful fishing activity in Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Kendrapara district, officials said on Friday.

A fishing trawl used by the intruders for fishing along the prohibited sanctuary area was seized by the forest patrol team. The intruders who were arrested yesterday and the traditional marine were remanded to judicial custody today, said officials.

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The fishing vessel had trespassed into prohibited sanctuary corridors contravening the provisions of the wildlife protection act, Orissa Marine fishing regulation act, and mandatory rules of marine sanctuary, said, forest officials.

The fishing prohibition remains enforced round the year in Gahirmatha as it is accorded the status of the marine sanctuary. The olive ridley turtles accorded as schedule-1 animal under the wildlife protection act for their highly threatened status, get entangled in the fishing nets, and die of asphyxiation. The turtles also perish in large numbers after getting hit by the fast-moving propeller of the fishing trawlers, forest personnel said.