No less than 300 olive ridley turtles and dolphins were found dead on the beach of Puri on Wednesday.
Although the bodies of turtles are often washed ashore on the beach of Puri during the winter, this was the first time that so many turtles were found dead there.
The marine forestry and fishery authorities seized two trawlers Wednesday for conducting unauthorized fishing despite the ban in view of the nesting season of turtles.
Beach Protection Council Odisha (BPCO), a voluntary organization working for the protection of the beach, gave a memorandum to the collector seeking the strict application of the ban on fishing between November and May.
At least 50 whales were washed ashore, and many of them were killed in the southern port city of Tuticorin earlier this month.
