File picture of an Olive Ridley turtle

Bhubaneswar, June 20: Traditional fishermen opposing marine fishing ban during breeding and nesting season of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles appear to be fighting a losing battle.

The Orissa government is in no mood to relax the restrictions that stretch for about seven months between November and May every year. Moreover, the ban also enjoys support of environmentalists who seem to be concerned in the least about the plight of the fisherfolk who are without work during this period.

In fact, the traditional fisherfolk took up the issue with Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh when he visited Gupti in Kendrapara district on April 29 to release the Shoreline Change Assessment Atlas.

Narayan Haldar, president of Orissa Traditional Fish Workers’ Union (OTFWU), said that local fishermen urged the minister to ensure, among other things, monetary relief for losses incurred during the ban period.

“The demand for compensation was nothing new, but this time we were specific. We told the minister that each fisherman suffering because of the ban should be paid Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per month apart from arrangements being made for waiving their loans. We also urged him to release the boats and nets seized from fishermen caught violating the ban,” said Haldar.

Fishing community leaders, who interacted with the minister, also sought his intervention to work out a pension package for working fishermen who, they insisted, should also be allotted the BPL cards.

However, the most important issue, raised at the meet, was for rationalising fishing ban in the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary area. “We argued that the government was wrong in putting the sanctuary area out of fishermen’s reach to protect Olive Ridley turtles.

“We said the ban area should be reduced to particular zones in the sanctuary where the turtles were seen in large numbers during the breeding period. The minister gave us a patient hearing, but said these were issues to be primarily addressed by the Orissa government,” said Haldar.

Though fishermen still hope that Ramesh would do something for them, many of them know that they are fighting for a losing cause, as the government remains completely indifferent to their plight.

“The Gahirmatha marine sanctuary is out of bounds for us round the year. In the two other turtle sanctuary rookeries at Devi and Rishikulya river mouths, restrictions apply for seven months. That is a long time and a long stretch of the sea.

“No government can justify this in the name of turtle protection without paying any compensation whatsoever to affected fishermen,” said another fishing community leader under condition of anonymity.

The ban has led to suicides in the fishing villages of Kendrapara in the past. There have also been instances of fishermen being killed in firing by guards while allegedly violating the ban. “It’s a sad situation.

“We have organised protests and even discussed the issue with the authorities, but somehow we have not been able to change their perception. We understand their concern for the turtles, but they should also show some concern for us,” said Haldar.