Bhubaneswar, Aug. 14: Forest personnel have arrested six marine fishermen for fishing in a prohibited area in the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Kendrapara district.

The forest department's patrolling unit seized a motorised boat used by the fishermen near the unmanned Babuballi Island. Fishing within the marine sanctuary limits is prohibited round the year. Sea patrolling is stepped up within the sanctuary water territory from November to May every year for the annual mass nesting of endangered olive ridley turtles. The arrested fishermen are residents of Balramgadi village of Balasore district, said a forest official.

"The fishing vessel had trespassed into the prohibited area of the sanctuary in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, Odisha Marine Fishing Regulation Act and mandatory rules of the sanctuary," said Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest divisional officer Bimal Prasanna Acharya.

"It's unlawful to fish in the marine sanctuary throughout the year. The seagoing fishermen and trawler owners probably thought that the ban remained in force only when the turtles arrived for breeding and nesting. They have been informed about the restrictions imposed on human activities in the sanctuary throughout the year," said Acharya. More than six lakh turtles arrived at the Nasi-2 nesting ground this year for nesting on the beach.