Bhubaneswar, Sept. 29 -- Forest officials on Tuesday seized two sea-worthy trawlers and apprehended 19 persons for fishing illegally inside the Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha's Kendrapara district, an official said.
The action was taken during routine patrolling by the Gahirmatha Wildlife Range staff on Tuesday morning, when the trawlers were spotted about 4 km from Madeli Mouth allegedly using trawling and gill nets. The occupants failed to produce valid documents or permission for entering the protected area and carrying out fishing activities, the official said.
The seizure included two trawlers, two GPS sets, two VHF sets, 10 trawling nets, 11 gill nets and around 40 kg of marine fish. Two wildlife offence cases have b...