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Greenpeace on Wednesday urged lawmakers in Orissa to allot an amount of Rs 11.20 crore in the state budget to end the turtle-fishermen conflicts in the Olive Ridley sea turtle-inhabited areas of the state.
 
"This will be a first critical step towards resolving the issue and the allocation will fulfil the twin requirements of fishermen's compensation and improved turtle protection as mandated by the Supreme Court in 2004," Greenpeace oceans campaigner Ashish Fernandes said in Bhubaneswar.
 
"In the absence of any concrete action from the state government, we are releasing an estimate of the funds required for the purpose to end the conflict," he told reporters.

"We are calling upon the Orissa Legislative Assembly to sanction a total sum of Rs 11.20 crore to address the turtle- fishermen conflict - Rs 9.18 crore for compensation to traditional fishermen affected by turtle conservation measures and a sum of Rs 2.02 crore to initiate effective patrolling and monitoring measures to check illegal fishing," oceans campaigner Sanjiv Gopal said.

They wished to meet individual legislators and explain the matter to them, he said.

Claiming that the turtle death toll till February last along the coast between Paradip to Ramachandi had crossed 1700, Fernandes said illegal fishing in the Devi river mouth had also increased from the previous year.
 
Motorised gill netters might also be permitted within five km of the high tide line, except in the five km exclusion zone around the devi and rushikulya mass nesting sites.

Nets used must be small mesh size, mono-filament nets of a maximum length of 300 metres and under no circumstances, multifilament large mesh size nets should be used, he said quoting the orders.

Motorised vessles were permitted beyond five km at the devi and rushikulya regions while all fishing in the ten km core area of the gahirmatha marine sanctuary remaned banned.

Gillnetters, however, could ply beyond 10 km, he said.