At least 800 Olive Ridleys dead in Odisha since January
4 Feb 2021
At
least 800 Olive Ridley sea turtles died, their carcasses washed ashore
since January 2021, on the beaches of Odisha — 30 kilometres along the
Gahirmatha marine sanctuary and its nearby areas from Silali to Nasi
beach.
Gahirmatha marine sanctuary is the world’s largest rookery of the sea turtles.
“Turtles
die after getting stuck in fishing nets. Many dead turtles bore
injuries, which pointed to the possibility of them being trapped in a
trawl or gill net,” said Hemant Rout, environmentalist and secretary,
Gahirmatha Marine Turtles and Mangrove Conservation Society.
The
trawlers are supposed to fish beyond five kilometres from the coast,
according to Odisha Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1982. They are
allowed to fish beyond 20 km from the coast in Gahirmatha marine
sanctuary. But they violate the law and fish near the shore. As a
result, turtles get caught in trawl nets and die, added Rout.
One
of the two patrolling boats — purchased for Rs 6 crores four years ago
— has been lying defunct for the last six months, according to Rout.
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