BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to prevent fishermen from entering the no-fishing zones declared for Olive Ridley turtle conservation, the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (FARD) department on Friday launched a fisher friend mobile application (FFMA).
The offline mobile application developed in collaboration with the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation can be downloaded free of cost by fishermen and boat crew so that they can know the GPS locations and boundaries of the no-fishing zones. Launching the mobile application, Minister for Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Arun Kumar Sahoo emphasised the commitment of the State government in the conservation of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles.
The mobile application will not require any cellular coverage network and will work in offline mode. Every year, the turtles congregate near the mouth of Dhamra, Devi and Rushikulya rivers and along the Gahirmatha sanctuary for mass nesting.