Olive Ridleys face danger as trawlers ply unabated despite fishing ban

: Environmentalists and locals of Astaranga in Puri district raised alarms as trawlers continue to ply on the Devi river mouth despite the enforcement of fishing ban to provide a safe passage for the endangered Olive Ridley turtles to lay their eggs.

Devi river mouth happens to be one of the three globally significant mass nesting sites for Olive Ridley sea turtles in Odisha, along with Gahirmatha and Rushikulya.

Highlighting the highly inadequate preparedness on the ground, the locals alleged that the entire control of the designated protected zone appears to be under unlawful fishing activity. Every single day matters, as each day has the potential to disturb and collapse the outcomes achieved in earlier seasons. Even one day of rampant fishing can destroy the collective conservation effo