Fishing crew faces massive penalty after plundering marine sanctuary during year-round ban: 'All arrested fishermen have been booked'

A rash of arrests shows Indian officials are determinedly protecting endangered olive ridley sea turtles at Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. In the latest event, they arrested 10 rogue fishers who were caught violating a fishing ban.

The Times of India reported that as part of the raid, local officials seized 25 quintals (a quintal is approximately 220 pounds) of fish, 15 gill nets, and fishing gadgets such as GPS and VHF sets.

Unfortunately, these arrests are part of a larger pattern of anglers ignoring the ban, per The Statesman. The tally of offenders is up to 330 fishers and 30 boats since the measure was put in place in November, according to local officials.

Traffic in the sanctuary threatens the sea turtles in multiple ways. One threat is traffickers who specifically target the animals. Fishing equipment can also asphyxiate and kill the turtles when they get caught in nets. Boat propellers pose even more peril, forest officials told The Statesman.

Gahirmatha's status as a marine sanctuary and the sea turtle's designation as a highly threatened species in India means that fishing in the area is banned year-round.

While sea turtles have shown themselves to be remarkably resilient to the changing climate, their continued existence is under threat from an array of factors. Turtles, in general, are illegally traded in India and Bangladesh, as the discovery of over 1,000 turtles in an abandoned warehouse showed. Poaching is a problem worldwide, including in Costa Rica.

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In the United States, hurricanes are an increasing threat to Florida's sea turtles, while wastewater pollution recently threatened turtles in India.

It's heartening that Indian officials are enforcing the law and deterring those who imperil the olive ridley sea turtles.

"All arrested fishermen have been booked under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act," forest range officer Manas Das told the Times.

In other encouraging news, a local official said female sea turtles were expected to come onto the beach to dig pits for mass nesting, per The Statesman.