The spectre of a bleak future is haunting the marine fishermen here after the authorities imposed a fishing ban since November 1 over 20 km off the sea coast under the Gahiramatha Marine Sanctuary.
The ban will remain in force till May 31, 2013. It is all to save the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles which are in the area for mass nesting and breeding. Fishing in sea kills these turtles when the creatures get entangled in the trawlers. Besides, the din created by the trawlers also creates much discomfiture for the turtles.
The main fishing harbors are now wearing a deserted look with life having come to a complete standstill. There is no rush to go for fishing in the hamlets of the fishing communities. However, these fishers, who know no other way of earning bread, are now catching fish in the nearby rivers and creeks to eke out their living.
?But the problem we are facing is that the catch in the rivers and creeks is not what it used to be in the sea. It?s very difficult to get fish weighing more than a kilo, while the fish size is small.
So the income has come down drastically. Since the Government stopped us fishing for more than six months, we have to seek an alternative,? said Ashoka Hota of Ramnagar.
"The quantum of fishing is very small. But what else can I do? It's all I know. There's nothing else to do here,? said Tapan Mandal, a fisherman of Batighar village.
In 1997, the Government introduced restrictions on fishing in the areas to save turtles. So, for the last 14 years, the fishers are having a harrowing time to arrange livelihood for almost six months in a year,? said Tusar Sardar, a fisherman of Kharnashi. "There used to be more than 30,000 fishermen in the seaside villages of Kendrapada district catching fish in the sea. Now, there are just over 100 left," said Sardar.
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