Kendrapada: Two modernised interceptor boats procured to help forest officials protect Olive Ridley sea turtles at Gahirmatha marine sanctuary have been lying idle for years due to technical problems, seriously hampering surveillance efforts in one of the world’s most important turtle nesting sites.The boats, now floating unused near the sanctuary office, were acquired by the forest department in 2016 to prevent fishing vessels from entering the protected marine zone during the nesting season. Named Gahirmatha-I and Gahirmatha-II, the high-speed vessels were bought from Mumbai at a cost of Rs 4 crore to safeguard the endangered Olive Ridleys at the sanctuary.Conceding that both interceptor boats are defunct, Kapilendra Pradhan, forest range officer of Gahirmatha marine sanctuary, said one of the boats became non-functional around four years ago, while the second developed a technical snag three years later. “Since the boats cannot be used, we have been forced to hire fishing trawlers for patrolling to protect the turtles,” he said.Designed as eco-friendly and soundless speedboats, the vessels were equipped with advanced safety mechanisms and were intended to enable forest staff to swiftly chase illegal fishing trawlers from within sanctuary limits. Crew members had also been trained to operate the boats.Environmental activists, however, said the problem stemmed from lack of skilled personnel and poor maintenance. Hemant Rout, secretary of the Gahirmatha Marine Turtle and Mangrove Conservation Society (GMTMCS), said local crew members were not adequately trained to operate the high-speed interceptor boats. “It is high time the forest department appoints competent crew and repairs the boats. Without speedboats, it is nearly impossible to chase fishing trawlers inside the marine sanctuary,” he said.The issue has also drawn judicial attention in the past. In 2021, the Orissa high court took suo motu cognisance of the unnatural deaths of several Olive Ridley turtles and directed the state govt to strengthen protection measures.
The court constituted a three-member committee comprising sea turtle researcher Kartik Shankar of the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru; Sushant Nanda, director (environment) in the state forest administration; and advocate Mohit Agarwal.After visiting the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary and Rushikulya beach, another major nesting site, the panel acknowledged that Olive Ridley turtles continue to face threats from fishery-related mortality and coastal development. The committee had specifically directed forest officers to deploy high-speed boats to protect the turtles, Rout added.
