Gahirmatha marine sanctuary: Fishermen ready to return to Bay as fishing ban lifted

Mahakalapara: The annual marine fishing ban imposed at Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary of Kendrapara district ended Sunday, paving the way for thousands of local fishermen to return to the Bay of Bengal and resume operations.

The ban, which has been in effect for seven and a half months from November 1, last year to June 15 this year, was imposed to protect mass nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles during their breeding season.

With the turtles having returned to their natural habitats, the restriction will be lifted, officials said. Around 10,000 fishermen from Batighar, Kharinasi, Ramanagar, Petachhela, Jambu, Suniti, Tantiapal, and Baulakani panchayats under the Mahakalapara block depend heavily on marine fishing for their livelihood.

Many of them conducted traditional rituals of boat worship like ‘Danga Manga Puja’ before setting out to the sea with their boats and nets Saturday.

Gahirmatha, spanning over 1,435 sq km from the Mahanadi river mouth to the Dhamra river mouth, is India’s first marine sanctuary. Though the seasonal fishing ban is lifted, permanent restrictions remain in force within the sanctuary’s core area, which stretches 20 km from the coast into the sea. Entry into this zone is prohibited year-round, and a buffer zone follows beyond the 20-km mark.

To enforce the restrictions, the Forest department has deployed 14 high-tech fl oating buoys to demarcate boundaries. Despite such measures, officials allege that some trawler owners continue to trespass into the protected zones to illegally catch high-value fish species, evading forest patrols.

Kapila Chandra Pradhan, range officer of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, warned that any unauthorised entry into the restricted areas after lifting of ban will be met with legal action.

PNN

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