Over the last 15 days, the Olive Ridley sea turtle conservation work at the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary has suffered a setback with the forest personnel having skipped sea patrolling to restrict trawler’s entry into the no fishing zone from Dhamara to Devi mouth.
Notably, a series of fishing trawlers on January 29 last had attacked forest patrolling boats in deep sea though an Executive Magistrate was present with the patrolling team.
Fearing life risk, the forest personnel are not daring to go for patrolling. Trawlers being the biggest offenders in causing turtle mortality, the abandoning of patrolling at a time when the endangered marine species have started nesting, has increased the vulnerability of the sea turtles.
If official sources are to be believed, the number of turtle carcasses has increased in a large number in last 15 days. As many as 159 turtle carcasses have been sighted during the period due to the uninterrupted trawler fishing.
Rajnagar DFO Kedar Kumar Swain stated, “I have brought the alleged matter before the district Collector and the SP of Kendrapara to take necessary steps for turtle conservation by providing police force and an Executive Magistrate.”
When contacted, district Collector Ratnakar Rout informed as the executive magistrate posts are laying vacant, so it has become an difficult to provide a magistrate in turtle conservation programme.
It may be noted here that after death of a fisherman in forest personnel’s bullet, sea patrolling was stopped between January 12 and 28.