Traditional seagoing fishermen and small boat operators on Monday protested against unlawful fishing activity and mid-sea assault upon them by trawler operators in prohibited Gahirmatha turtle habitation corridors.

Angry fishermen and boat owners staged a demonstration in front of the Jamboo marine police station and put forth demand for immediate crackdown on illegal sea-fishing by trawls in Gahirmatha marine sanctuary.

The powerful and influential trawl operators have made a mockery of the turtle conservation. Though blanket banre mains in force along 20-km Gahirmatha turtle congregation zones, trawling operation is in full swing. Authorities have turned a blind eye to it as sea fishing by trawler operators goes unabated, charged president small and medium boat operators’ association, Tushar Sardar.

The small boats are legally permitted to undertake fishing voyage as our vessels cause no harm to olive turtles. On the other hand, the marine animals perish in large number following trawl fishing.

They get killed either getting hit in propellers or getting entangled in mono-filament nets. We areprovided with temporary permits for fishing, said a small boat owner, Sushant Mandal. While flagrantly defying the ban order, the trawler operators have let loose a reign of terror as they are attacking small fishing vessels.

Two vessels capsized in one week following mid-sea attack by trawls, the yalleged. Sea fishing still continues in turtle habitation corridors by law-breaking marine fishermen communities mostly from Balashore, Bhadrak districts. Besides trawls from neighbouring West Bengal are making their unlawful entry into Gahirmatha largely because the crews are unaware of the prohibitory orders, they added. Our resources are limited.

Our crafts are small. The trawl intrusion is not only detrimental to turtles mating and breeding trends but it is snatching away our daily income, remarked a seagoing fisherman from Kharinasi hamlet, Tarapad Mandal. ‘Fishing Ban’ on trawls remains in force to protect the annual migration of endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles to the Odisha coast formating and laying eggs. The ban has been clamped in accordance with Sections 2, 7 and 4 of Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA), 1982 and provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

“We have received complaints from the agitating boat operators and traditional marine fishermen regarding the illegal trawl fishing. Complaint regarding attack by trawl operators upon the small boats has also been registered. Marine police would jointly take up the matter with the forest and marine fisheries department to curb unlawful sea fishing activities”, said Inspector Jamboo Marine Police Station, Pradyumna Kumar Nayak.

“The forest department is carrying out sea patrolling on a daily basis to stop illegal fishing in turtle habitation zone. However patrolling is being intensified in view of the complaint lodged by small boat operators”, said Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division, Bimal Prasanna Acharya.