Sustainable management of Orissa's fisheries will secure the livelihood of the state's traditional fishing communities, in addition to reducing the annual mortality of olive ridley sea turtles.
The approach paper discusses the decline in fish catch and the
potential threat that this poses for the 4.5 lakh strong fisher
population of Orissa . It also outlines the solution -- sustainable
fisheries management -- which will safeguard the livelihoods of the
traditional fishing population, while by default, reducing turtle
mortalities significantly.
"There is an inherent relationship between poor fisheries and
marine management and the high turtle death toll every year. The
solution - sustainable management of marine resources- is the first
step towards tackling both turtle mortalities and falling fish
catches in the near shore waters", said Sanjiv Gopal.
The last decade and a half has seen between 10,000 to 15,000
dead olive ridley sea turtles washed ashore every year along the
coast of Orissa, largely victims of illegal trawling in near shore
waters. Such trawling, though illegal under the OMFRA, has expanded
manifold over the last decade, jeopardizing the livelihood security
of the traditional fishing population who primarily rely on these
waters for their livelihood.
"To fulfill its conservation mandate, the state forest
department needs to commit to progressively reducing the annual
turtle mortality over the next five seasons. This would enable
the Government's turtle protection efforts to be evaluated
objectively. We are happy that the department has already taken a
step in the right direction by committing to a transparent process
of counting turtle mortalities this year, together with independent
observers" said Gopal.
Such a commitment would mean that the turtle mortality for the
upcoming season would be reduced by 35%, and the goal at the end of
five years would see mortalities reduced from the current average
of 12,500 to around 2400. Of course, a transparent system for
monitoring mortalities is key to evaluating such targets.
Welcoming the recent deployment of two new patrol boats by the
Fisheries Department, Gopal said, "Improved patrolling and the
consistent presence of authorities at sea will curtail illegal
trawling. We support this initiative and are open to sharing the
responsibility of patrolling by pooling our efforts with the
Government".
The position paper also reminds the Orissa government of its
duty towards allocating sufficient resources to tackle the fishery
crisis, both by providing patrolling and enforcement resources, as
well as compensation and alternative means of livelihood for
traditional fishermen affected by fishing restrictions. In 2007,
Greenpeace had submitted an estimate of Rs. 2.02 crores, required
to boost the forest department's turtle protection machinery, and
Rs. 9 crores required for compensation/alternative income
generation schemes. Thus far this money has not been allocated by
the state government.
The existing legislative framework, including the Orissa Marine
Fishing regulation Act of 1982 and directives of the Central
Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court (2004) clearly spell out
the specific responsibilities of the state government authorities.
However, implementation of existing laws has been weak
For further information, contact
Saumya Tripathy, Greenpeace Communications, +91-93438 62212, 
Sanjiv Gopal, Oceans Campaigner, +91-98455 35416, 
Notes to Editor
1 Marine Fisheries Census 2005 – Part III (2) – Orissa : Census 2005.
2 Refer to the Approach Paper “Turning Seas of Trouble into Seas of plenty”