Olive ridley sea turtles                                                  

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Context: The Odisha government imposed a seven-month-long prohibition on fishing activities within 20 km of the coast at the river mouths of Dhamara, Devi and Rusikulya, marking the beginning of the mass nesting season of the endangered olive ridley sea turtles.

Objective of this annual measure:

• Ensuring the safety of marine animals during their mating and breeding season.
• The ban was clamped in accordance with sections 2, 7 and 4 of Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA), 1982 and provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• The prohibition is clamped every year as turtles perish in larger numbers either by getting entangled in fishing nets or hit by fishing trawlers’ propellers,”
• It involves a multi-layered patrolling exercise, comprising forest personnel, fisheries personnel, marine police, besides the Coast Guard.
• To ensure effective patrolling, 61 on-shore camps and five off-shore camps have been set up in the state’s four wildlife divisions - Bhadrak, Rajnagar, Puri and Berhampur,”.

www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/odisha-imposes-fishing-ban-in-olive-ridley-turtle-sea-corridor/article37279066.ece?homepage=true