KENDRAPARA: Forest officials on Sunday arrested 16 persons on charges of fishing illegally inside the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Kendrapara district.
The offiicals seized around 50 kg of fish from them and their fishing trawler as well. Officials also recovered two GPS devices, three VHF sets and three fishing nets from the trawler.
Gahirmatha forest range officer Kapilendra Pradhan said, “All the arrested fishermen were produced before a court in Rajnagar on Sunday.”
Fishing remains banned in Gahirmatha from November 1 to May 31 every year, coinciding with the nesting season of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles. Since November 1, 2025, forest officials have arrested around 143 fishermen and seized 15 fishing vessels from the sanctuary area, Pradhan added.