In an effort to protect the Olive Ridley turtles at the Kakinada coast, the state government of Andhra Pradesh made an announcement of a fishing ban for one month within a radius of 5 kilometres of the upland that is situated opposite the island, taking effect from February 15, such a gesture was seen as a reaction to the media covering recent deaths of the turtles extending as far as 12 kms of the coastline along including Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Kakinada Collector Krithika Shukla verified the fishing restriction and legally authorized that traditional as well as mechanised boats are to be restrained from entering the designated zone. KSLB says the management of the Kakinada Sea Port has agreed to abide by the ban guidelines, implying that there will not be any breach of the restriction. To control the enforcement of the ban effectively, these Forest, Fisheries, Customs, and Marine Police departments are working in collaboration to monitor the implementation.
Together, they will be committed to thoroughly enforcing the order, and to stopping any unlicensed operations. Ms.Shukla held that the good coordination and cooperation between such departments collectively make the conservation measure successful. The officials in the forestry department had already launched the turtle hatchery and nests monitoring apart from strongly advising the local people to conserve the turtles.
Such ban holds between the turtle migrating period, and the end of the breeding season. This way, the threats faced by Olive Ridley turtles shall be minimized while preserving their living environment.