Eight Andhra Pradesh fishermen nabbed for fishing in Rushikulya river mouth in Odisha

By PTI

BERHAMPUR: Eight fishermen from Andhra Pradesh have been nabbed for allegedly fishing in a prohibited space close to Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam district of Odisha, an official stated on Wednesday.

To guarantee the security of Olive Ridley Turtles throughout their breeding and mating season, the state authorities has clamped a seven-month fishing ban inside 20 km from the coast on the river mouths of Rushikulya, Dhamara, and Devi from November 1.

Forest officers noticed the fishermen within the no-fishing zone on Tuesday afternoon and seized a trawler and 210 kg of fish, Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Amlan Nayak stated.

The fishermen, hailing from Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, have been handed over to the fisheries division on Wednesday for motion beneath the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA), 1982, the DFO stated.

The seized fish have been auctioned by the forest workers, Khallikote Forest Range Officer Sidharth Sahu stated.

At least three boats and a trawler are engaged in sea patrolling within the space, he stated.

Rushikulya mouth is taken into account because the second largest rookery for the Olive Ridleys after Gahiramatha in Kendrapara district.