Paradip officials seize 10 boats for violating fishing ban

KENDRAPADA: Fishery officials seized 10 boats in Paradip of Jagatsinghpur district on Wednesday for violating a two-month ban on fishing that started on April 15.
"With the help of marine police, we seized 10 vessels when they were venturing deep in the sea for fishing. We released 25 fishermen after they furnished an undertaking not to fish in the sea during the ban period," said Birja Prasan Mohapatra, the additional fishery officer (marine) of Kujang.
In a bid to conserve fish stock in the sea during its breeding period, the government imposed restrictions for fishing from April 15 to June 15 in the state as monsoon is the breeding season for nearly 300 species along the coast of Odisha. The fishing ban extends to 12 nautical miles off the Odisha coast.
"In the past, we allowed traditional marine fishermen with non-mechanized boats less than 8.5 meters to fish. But this year, the Union government decided to ban all kinds of fishing in the sea for two months after many trawler owners alleged that traditional fishermen catch a large number of breeding fish during the ban period," added Mohapatra.
"The authorities imposed fishing ban to conserve fish during its breeding period, so that fishermen can get maximum benefits later. Otherwise, fish productivity will fall drastically. Besides, the ban is imposed during monsoon as the sea becomes turbulent and going into the sea can prove hazardous for the fishermen," added Mohapatra.