KENDRAPARA: As many as seven fishermen were arrested and their trawler seized by forest officials at Gahirmatha marine sanctuary late on Friday. Forest range officer of Gahirmatha Debashis Bhoi said two quintals fish were seized from the accused and all of them held for illegally fishing in the restricted sanctuary area.
They were booked under provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Marine fishermen have been directed not to fish within 20 km from the coastline in the marine sanctuary area, which is spread over 1,435 sq km in the sea from Hukitola to Dhamra. Forest officials have already deployed guards to arrest fishermen who enter the marine sanctuary.
In 1997, the government had declared Gahirmatha a marine sanctuary to protect the Olive Ridley turtles as each winter lakhs of them come to its coast for laying eggs. Gahiramatha beach is the largest rookery of the sea turtles in the world.