Kendrapada: As many as 36 fishermen were arrested for fishing in the prohibited area of Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in the district. Five trawlers were also seized from the place.
According to Forest department sources, the trawlers had trespassed into the prohibited turtle concentration zone of the sanctuary in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act and other rules.
The arrested persons are traditional marine fishermen from Balasore, Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts. With this, 76 fishermen have been arrested so far this year.
A seven-month fishing ban has been imposed along the 20-km stretch of Dhamara-Devi river from November 1 in view of the mass nesting of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles.
