7 Fishermen Arrested for Illegal Fishing in Gahiramatha Sanctuary

Bhubaneswar: In a major enforcement operation, the forest department arrested seven fishermen for illegally fishing inside the Gahiramatha Marine Sanctuary, a protected area in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.

Forest personnel from the Ekakula section carried out a raid in the prohibited zone and seized four fishing nets, a GPS device, a VHF communication set, and around 50 kg of fish from the accused.

Gahiramatha Marine Sanctuary is a declared no-fishing zone, established to protect the endangered olive ridley turtles and preserve their marine habitat. The arrested fishermen have been taken into custody, and further legal action is being initiated by the authorities under relevant wildlife protection laws.

Officials said the sanctuary is one of the most important nesting grounds for olive ridley turtles in the world. The forest department has intensified patrolling and surveillance in the area to curb illegal fishing and other activities that pose a threat to the fragile marine ecosystem.