Alarmingly, the endangered Olive Ridley turtles are dying in Gahirmatha marine sanctuary of Odisha. Forest officials have recovered carcasses of around 600 turtles and two dolphins in the last two days, from the beaches of Hukitola to Eakakula at Gahirmatha in Kendrapada district of the state.
It is suspected that illegal trawlers and fishing nets, however, act as a death trap for them in the seas despite a ban on fishing in 20 km peripheries of the coast. Hemant Rout, an environmentalist and secretary of Gahirmatha Marine Turtles and Mangrove Conservation Society, alleged, “Though there is a prohibition on fishing in 20 km distance from the beach in Gahirmatha, the trawler operators take fishing illegally in the region.”
The forest and wildlife officials have been misleading the authorities about the death tolls of the turtles in order to save their skins. The death of nearly 1.7 lakh turtles over the past 17 years, adversely affected the population of the marine species for sure, he added. This must be a matter of great concern for conservationists, more so because the species fall under the endangered category.
Famed as Odisha’s one and only marine wildlife sanctuary, Gahirmatha Beach is one of the prime tourist destinations in the state of Odisha. The beach is symbolic of the nature’s splendour and is highly admired by nature lovers from all corners of the world. The Gahirmatha Beach is located amidst the Bhitarkanika mangroves and Bay of Bengal, making the surroundings very picturesque for the visitors. The long stretches of the coastline and lovely sandy shores are ideal for enjoying the beachside activities. Moreover the serene and pristine environment will leave you completely rejuvenated. The Gahirmatha Beach is renowned worldwide for being a superb nesting place for Olive Ridley sea turtles. This makes the beach a prime attraction for holiday makers from all across the world.
For their annual nesting, the endangered turtles come to Gahirmatha, mouth of rivers Devi and Rushikulya in Odisha coast, in large number. To protect the species government has taken a number of safety measures.
As told by Srirampada Arabinda Mishra, the Forest Range Officer of Gahirmatha, State Government has imposed a ban on fishing inside the reserved marine sanctuary from November 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019.
However, probing into the incident, around 380 fishermen have already been arrested and 83 fishing vessels have been seized on charges of illegally fishing in Gahirmatha, so far.
