11 arrested, trawler seized for illegal fishing in Odisha's Gahirmatha

Eleven people have been arrested and their trawler seized for illegal fishing in turtle habitation zones in Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Odisha's Kendrapara district, forest officers said.

The marine fishermen, who hail from Kendrapara district, were sent to judicial custody after their arrest on Monday. They have been booked under sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, they said.

With the latest apprehensions, a total of 130 fishermen have been arrested and around a dozen vessels seized since November 1 for intrusion into the marine sanctuary.

The state government has clamped a seven-month fishing ban along a 20-km stretch from Dhamara to Devi river mouth from November 1 in view of the ensuing mass nesting of endangered Olive Ridley marine turtles.

However, the prohibition remains enforced round-the-year in Gahirmatha as it is accorded the status of a marine sanctuary.

The turtles die of asphyxiation after getting entangled in nets, and also get hit by fishing trawlers, forest officials said.

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