KENDRAPARA: Forest officials arrested 18 fishermen on charges of illegal fishing in Gahirmatha marine sanctuary here on Tuesday evening.
Forest range officer of Gahirmatha Kapilendra Pradhan said the arrested fishermen were booked under multiple sections of the Wildlife Protection Act. Apart from their vessel ‘Mahimamayee’, 18 quintal of fish, three VHF sets, one GPS, fish finder, two fishing nets and three mobile phones were seized from the fishermen.
Notably, the government has banned fishing in Gahirmatha from November to May to enable mass nesting of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles. Over six lakh Olive Ridleys laid eggs in the first phase of nesting from March 5 to 10 on Nasi-1, Nasi-2 and Eakakulanasi islands within the sanctuary.
“Since November 2024, we have arrested around 368 fishermen and seized 39 vessels for illegal fishing in Gahirmatha,” Pradhan said.