For trespassing into the “No Fishing Zone” of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, 17 fishermen have been detained overall in Kendra pada (Odisha), and two of their vessels have been seized, an official reported on Sunday/.
The fishermen were arrested for breaking the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act’s rules and unlawfully collecting fish.
Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, Orissa Marine Fishing Rules of 1983, and (OMFRA), 1982.
Manas Kumar Das, the ranger in charge of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, reported that on Saturday night, while a fishing boat was ready to catch fish near Brunei Mouth in the No Fishing zone, sanctuary officials intercepted it and confiscated a GPS unit, a VHF unit, and a plastic net.
The detained fisherman have been named as Samaresh Mandal (age 42), Nimain Mandal (age 34), Brajakishor Mandal (age 34), Bhikari Swain (age 55), and Gautam Barman (age 31), Birendra Barman (age 56), Bhikari Swain, and Sandeep Munda (25).
All of the defendants were brought before the JMFC court in Rajnagar after being charged under Sections 27, 29, and 31 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which ordered them to jail custody after denying their bail requests.
On Friday, Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary Forest personnel intercepted another fishing boat and detained 10 fishermen for illegally fishing in a designated “no fishing zone.” They also seized about 30 quintals of marine fish catch, 12 trawling nets, three VHF sets, two GPs, and other fishing gear from the detained trawler.
