Call for immediate intervention to conserve marine resources

Visakhapatnam: Former Union Energy Secretary EAS Sarma raises concern over turtle and marine life conservation.

Appealing to Secretary to Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MEFCC) RP Gupta and Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das, Sarma said a letter was already dashed to the Union Environment Minister on national turtle conservation action plan, the large scale damage to turtles and other marine resources taking place along Andhra Pradesh coast.

The damage is a result of industrial pollution and overexploitation of the coastal resources, he mentioned.

Attaching images of carcasses of turtles and dolphins deposited along the coast of Srikakulam near Etcherla and Visakhapatnam near Bheemunipatnam, the former Union Energy Secretary appealed to the ministries concerned to intervene with immediate effect. "I have received further information from the local fishing communities on the widespread damage of the marine species extending south of Visakhapatnam along the coast," he said. Sarma laid emphasis on urgent interventions sans which there will be an irrevocable loss of the marine resources.

Earlier, in his communication to MEFCC, Sarma stated how the local fishermen were dependent on the marine resources.

He appealed to the authorities that the Andhra Pradesh Marine Fishing (Regulation) Act, 1995 requires them to extend protection to traditional fishing activity in preference to mechanised fishing so as to permit the conservation of the marine resources. "Had the State enforced this law, it would have helped conserve the rare species such as turtles and dolphins," he added.