KENDRAPARA: Forest officials arrested seven fishermen of Andhra Pradesh on charges of illegal fishing in Gahirmatha marine sanctuary here on Tuesday.
All the accused are from Thammayyapalem village in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh. Apart from a trawler and 10 quintal of fish, the officials seized two GPS, one VHF, two generators and 400 fishing hooks from the arrested fishermen.
The accused were booked under sections 9, 27, 29, 31 and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. They were produced in court and remanded in judicial custody, said forest range officer of Gahirmatha Kapilendra Pradhan.
Marine fishermen have been directed not to fish within 20 km from the coastline in the marine sanctuary areas covering 1,435 sq km in the sea from Hukitola to Dhamara. As Gahirmatha beach is one of the largest rookeries of Olive Ridley turtles, the government has banned all types of fishing for seven months from November 1 to May 31 to save the endangered marine species, said Pradhan.
At least 59 fishermen have been arrested and six boats seized in Gahirmatha since November 1, the forest officer added.