The State Government on Friday imposed a seven-month ban on fishing to protect endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles at the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Kendrapada district.
The ban will be in force from November 1, 2019 till May 31, 2020.
The Forest Department has imposed the restriction prohibiting fishermen from fishing within 20 km off the coastline in the turtle-nesting sites. The endangered Olive Ridley turtles arrive every year during winter for mass nesting in the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary and in the Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam district. They lay eggs in March following mating and the hatchlings come out by May.
Notably, Odisha has three nesting sites, Gahirmatha beach in Kendrapada district, Devi river mouth in Puri district and Rushikulya river mouth in Ganjam district. The Gahirmatha turtle sanctuary is one of the world’s largest nesting sites.
