The Odisha government on Sunday enforced a seven-month ban on fishing in the sea within 20 km of the coast around the mouths of Dhamara, Devi and Rushikulya rivers to protect Olive Ridley turtles during their annual breeding and nesting season, officials said.
The prohibition will remain in force till May 31.
The ban on sea-fishing, however, remains enforced throughout the year along the Gahirmatha coast, widely regarded as the largest habitation corridor of the highly endangered marine species, forest officials said.
Gahirmatha has been accorded the status of a marine sanctuary due to the congregation of turtles, they said.
The annual restriction aims to prevent the endangered marine species from dying after getting entangled in fishing nets or being struck by the propellers of fishing trawlers, officials said, adding that the ban has been clamped in accordance with the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA), 1982 and provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
A multi-layered surveillance operation involving the forest and fisheries departments, Marine Police and Coast Guard will be undertaken to enforce the prohibition, they added.
The government has set up 61 onshore camps and five offshore camps across four wildlife divisions — Bhadrak, Rajnagar, Puri and Berhampur. Armed police personnel have been deployed to assist the forest and fisheries teams, a forest officer said.
Five high-speed boats, 13 trawlers and support vessels have also been deployed to intercept illegal fishing in the prohibited zones, he added.
The ban is expected to affect around 11,000 fishing families. To compensate for their loss of livelihood, the state government has announced one-time financial assistance of Rs 15,000 for each affected family, he added.
Olive Ridley turtles congregate in large numbers along Odisha’s coast for mating and nesting.
Female turtles come ashore, usually under the cover of darkness, to lay eggs in a mass nesting phenomenon known as ‘arribada’.
The hatchlings emerge after 45 to 60 days and make their way to the sea without parental care.
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Odisha imposes seven-month ban on fishing in sea in turtle congregation zone
