The Odisha government, the Coast Guard, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the police on Tuesday decided to ensure better coordination to protect the endangered olive ridley turtles during the mass nesting.
As mating has been noticed in the deep sea, the State government has decided to impose a ban on fishing by motorised vessels and trawlers from November 1. The ban will be enforced within 20 km from the areas along the coast where the turtles gather and their buffer zones, including the mouths of the Dhamara, Devi and Rusikulya rivers. Last year, 11.10 lakh turtles came for nesting.
The committee for protection and conservation of the sea turtles, chaired by Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi, will set up a central monitoring unit at the office of the principal chief conservator of forests, wildlife.
Berthing lots will be opened at Barunei, Gupti, Sasanapeta, Krushnapriyapur and Rajnagar for the safe custody of seized vessels. Sixty-two patrolling camp-sites will operate. Each camp will be given VHF communication devices and mobile phones. The Coast Guard, patrolling ships, camps and the marine police will share intelligence regularly. Policemen will patrol the areas. Soon after the nesting, the rookeries will be fenced.
The DRDO’s missile test range and the Dhamara, Gopalpur and Paradip ports have been asked to follow black-out procedures.
During the ban, the fishermen will be given support for livelihood under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project. The support assistance will be increased for each family from ₹5,000 to ₹7,500.
The committee also approved a plan to set up a sea turtle research centre near the Ghati Central Nursery in the Khalikot forest range of Ganjam district.
