Paradip, March 30: Lack of regulations in sea fishing activities has slowly but surely led to the disappearance of several fish species. Many popular fish are conspicuously absent in and around the Paradip sea waters.

Unlawful fishing activity during the breeding season has apparently spelt disaster for marine lives.

Popular seafood such as eel, sardine, squid and cotton fish has drastically dwindled, mostly due to the deep-sea fishing by trawlers.

Shrimp and hilsa might meet the same fate soon since there had been a pronounced drop in their yield.

Availability of seafood is becoming scarce every passing day, as there is a huge market for sea products in the far eastern countries.

Much of the daily catch is being exported.

"Shrimp and hilsa seems to be products of the past," said Sumant Biswal, the president of Odisha Marine Fish Producers' Association.

Regular intrusion of foreign trawlers into the exclusive economic zone near Paradip has depleted the fish resources considerably. The improvised fishing vessels, equipped with latest fishing gadgets have perpetrated indiscriminate fishing with ample ease. Unregulated fishing has triggered the crisis.

"A spawned fish can breed thousands of baby fish. However, if deep-sea fishing goes on unabated during the breeding season, things will look grim. When pregnant fish are caught in the nets, millions of baby fish perish in the process," Biswal said.

The state fisheries department has imposed a fishing ban from April 15 to June 15 to check the catching of spawned fish during the breeding period.

"The state marine fisheries department has been informed of fall in the catch of specific fish such as eel, sardine, squid and cotton fish. All of them are getting hard to find. The department has sought the assistance of the Central Institute of Aquaculture Authority to examine the factors that are leading to their disappearance," said the deputy director of fisheries department Pratap Ranjan Rout.

"The need of the hour is to conduct periodic estimates on the status of fishery resources. Such a marine audit would help to ensure the sustainable development of resources. Marine fishing has emerged as an important economic activity. However, regulated fishing and prohibition during the breeding season is imperative," said Chitta Ranjan Behera, an expert in marine fishing.

The fisheries department would strictly enforce the two-month ban. The sole purpose of the ban is to ensure sustainable growth of marine fish resources, said an official.