The Coast Guard today nabbed 139 fishermen on charges of undertaking unlawful fishing activity in turtle concentration zones of Odisha's Gahirmatha marine sanctuary.
Fourteen fishing trawls used by the intruders for fishing along the prohibited sanctuary area were seized by the patrolling unit.
The interception took place early today near Satabhaya coast about 11 nautical miles from Paradip coast, Coast Guard Commandant Ashis told PTI.
The nativity antecedents of the arrested crew of the vessels were thoroughly cross-checked to ascertain whether they owed any anti-national links or had subversive design, he said.
This was of the largest interception of intruding vessels by the Coast Guard in a day in Odisha, Ashis said adding as the nabbed fishermen violated the law by sneaking into turtle concentration zones of prohibited marine sanctuary seawaters, they were handed over to the forest department for legal action.
The fishing vessels had trespassed into prohibited sanctuary corridors contravening the provisions of wildlife protection act, Orissa Marine fishing regulation act and mandatory rules of marine sanctuary, the CG official said.
The intruders were being forwarded to jail custody under sections 27 and 29 of the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1982, said Gahirmatha Forest Range Officer, Subrat Patra.
Nearly 60,000 turtles had arrived at the Nasi-2 nesting ground from 16-23 March to lay eggs on the sandy beach of the sanctuary.
The mass nesting figure was much on the lower side as an estimated 4.14 lakh female turtles had turned up to dig pit and lay eggs on the nesting beach during 2015 year, Patra said.
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