The marine fishermen of Kendrapada district on Wednesday started venturing into the sea with crews and fishing vessels for catching fish following the Marine Fishery Department lifted a ban on fishing in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.

Notably, the ban had been imposed from November 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022 in accordance with provisions of the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA), 1982, Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1982 and Orissa Marine Fishing Rules, 1983 to protect the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles at Gahirmatha. Again, the Marine Fishery Department had imposed a ban on fishing at sea from April 15 to June 14 for safe breeding of fish.

As the fishing season started, the mechanised boat owners and trawler owners worshipped their boats and sea God, Baruna, on the auspicious Raja Sankranti and later set sail into the sea by taking all fish catching equipment, said Maa Ramchandi Boat Owners’ Association, Kharanashi secretary Tushar Sardar. More than 25 to 30 fishing vessels have started the operation on the first day of lifting of fishing ban, he informed.

The Marine Fishery Department has issued instructions to the fishermen community to take registration certificate and licence of their mechanised boats or trawlers, besides the biometric identity card. It has also been asked to the marine fishermen to take Distress Alert Transmitters (DATs) with them and keep a close eye on suspicious vessels and inform about the activities of crew members of such vessels to the Assistant Director, Marine Fishery, Kujanga, by using the DAT.

The fishermen have also been asked not to catch fish by trespassing into the prohibited zone of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary with trawlers, as the fishing ban remains in force within Gahirmatha round the year, said in-charge Ranger Manas Kumar Das.