Nine Fishermen Arrested for Illegal Fishing in Gahirmatha Sanctuary

Bhubaneswar: Nine fishermen were arrested on Tuesday for illegal fishing in the prohibited turtle congregation zone of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Kendrapara district.

According to forest officials, the fishermen, residents of Bhadrak and Balasore districts, had entered the sanctuary waters with a trawler, which was seized during the operation. They were later produced in court and remanded to judicial custody.

Fishing is strictly prohibited year-round in Gahirmatha, the world’s largest rookery of endangered olive ridley sea turtles. In addition, a seven-month seasonal ban is enforced along a 20-km stretch between the Dhamara and Devi river mouths to protect the species during mass nesting.

Officials said the trawler’s entry into the restricted zone violated multiple conservation laws. Conservationists have repeatedly cautioned that olive ridley turtles are highly vulnerable to trawler activity, often dying of asphyxiation in fishing nets or suffering fatal injuries from propeller strikes.