BHUBANESWAR : Even as a fishing ban is in place within the 20 km coastline of Devi estuary for mass nesting of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles, rising trawling operations in the restricted zone have left wildlife activists worried.
Like every year, the State government has banned fishing by motorised vessels and trawlers within 20 km of the shore along Devi, Dhamra and Rushikulya river mouth for seven months from November 1. The entire coastal stretch between Devi river mouth and Kadua river mouth has been declared a no fishing zone. However, enforcement of the ban in the restricted zone of the river mouths has been slack for many years now.
Trawlers are still being used for fishing in the prohibited area but the Forest department is yet to deploy patrolling boats. Hundreds of trawlers can be seen fishing in the restricted zone every day due to poor patrolling and enforcement, alleged activists engaged in Olive Ridley protection.
An official from the Forest department said there has been a delay in releasing funds for hiring vessels for patrolling. “The funds were placed to hire a trawler for enforcement activities in mid-October. However, we need at least 21 days to complete the tender process to engage the service provider. In such a situation it is not possible on our part to engage the patrolling trawler before November 15,” said an official from the Puri Wildlife Division.
There has been no mass nesting of Olive Ridleys in Devi estuary after 1997. Though sporadic nesting has been taking place, it gets hampered due to trawling activities in the nesting season. Just around 1,045 turtles had congregated at the nesting site last year. Apart from changes in shoreline and the river mouth, the increasing trawling activities are making Devi estuary unsafe for these sea turtles for mass nesting.
A committee constituted to formulate measures for protection of Olive Ridleys and their habitats in its report to the Orissa High Court in March this year, had stated that the current mortality rate of the turtles in the State has remained 4,000 to 7,000 per year with more than 60-70 per cent being reported from the Devi estuary. It had attributed trawling as the major reason for deaths of the turtles as they get suffocated in the fishing nets of trawlers or die due to injuries inflicted by their propellers.
A senior forest official from the division admitted that they do not have any power to take action against the trawler operators under Wildlife Protection Act for putting the life of the Olive Ridleys, a schedule-I species, in danger. He said, if a trawler is seized they have to hand it over to the Fisheries department which then takes action as per the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA).
PCCF (Wildlife) Shashi Paul could not be reached for his comments on the matter.