Kendrapara: Five fishermen were arrested by the personnel of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary for catching fish without permission in the ‘No Fishing zone’ near Madeli mouth within the sanctuary on Tuesday.
A patrolling team led by Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary Ranger Pradosh Maharana and Forester Prafulla Kumar Majhi intercepted the boat and apprehended five fishermen identified as Nimai Mandal, Haripad Biswas, Dasarath Das, Rabindra Gaini, and Debarata Majhi.
The fishermen were booked under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and were produced before the JMFC court of Rajnagar. They have been remanded into jail custody.
According to Ranger Moharana, the fishermen had illegally entered the sanctuary with their fishing vessel and were caught red-handed while fishing.
The forest personnel confiscated their mechanized fishing boat, 1.20 quintals of marine fish catch, a 5 kg weight of Black Tip Shark, a huge Kani fishing net, and a GPS set.
