Wildlife in India is facing a losing battle. The Orissa government’s decision to impose a seven-month-long ban on fishing activity in the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in lieu of the mass nesting of the Olive Ridley sea turtles has upset the fishermen living in this coastal belt. The ban, an annual feature, was clamped in accordance with the provisions of the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA) 1982 and the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Forest officers of this area have pointed out that the safety of these turtles can be ensured only if the prohibitory orders are strictly enforced. Trawl operators have also been warned not to venture in this prohibited water zone. Last year, more than 100 trawlers and their crew were arrested for violating these prohibitory orders. Fishermen are demanding they be given a temporary permit to catch fish on a once-a-week basis. It was keeping their livelihood issues in mind that the World Bank-funded Integrated Coastal Zone Management Programme (ICZMP) was taken up to provide alternate livelihoods for the affected fishermen community. “We have planned to cover all fishermen families under the alternate livelihood scheme to compensate the community’s monetary loss due to ban,” assistant-director, fisheries, Rabi Narayan Patnaik pointed out. The Olive Ridley turtles are being killed largely by the trawlers who use mono-filament nets that lead to the entangling of the turtles, Tushar Sardar, district president of Traditional Marine Fishermen’s Union Tushar Sardar claimed.