Forest Department personnel on Sunday arrested 16 fishermen and seized two fishing trawlers for trespassing into ‘No Fishing Zone’ of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.
The personnel intercepted the trawlers, Nachinda and Aparupa, near Babubali, and nabbed the fishermen besides confiscating 22 quintals of fish catch, nets, VHF sets, fish finder machines and other navigation instruments from their possession.
As the mating season of Olive Ridley sea turtles has begun, the Forest personnel have intensified patrolling in the sanctuary. While one accused belongs to Medinpur district of West Bengal, the rest hail from Kendrapada and Bhadrak districts.
All the accused were remanded in jail custody after their bail pleas were rejected by the JMFC court of Pattamundai on Monday, Ranger Suvendu Behera said. So far, the Forest staff with the help of Coast Guard personnel have apprehended 44 fishermen and seized six fishing boats.