Illegal fish farming threat to Bhitarkanika ecosystem

Bhitarkanika National Park, a haven of biodiversity, is fast losing its ecological integrity with rampant illegal fish farming and exports overtaking protected forest zones.

- POST NEWS NETWORK

Amid ongoing threats such as coastal erosion and forest land encroachment, both the coastal and interior regions of the sanctuary are now under pressure from commercial fish traders. The Gobari River near Kansapala in Baulakani panchayat of Mahakalapara block has become a major hub for fish exports, while unauthorised prawn farming continues unchecked within forested areas.

Local reports indicate that these activities are harming the region’s fragile ecosystem. “Every day, fish worth lakhs of rupees are transported from the Kansapala ferry point to Kolkata,” said Laxmidhar Swain, a local resident. Trawlers from Kolkata, Balasore and other locations are routinely used for this illegal trade. The operations, carried out along the rapidly eroding banks of the Gobari River, are destroying mangrove forests essential to the area’s ecological balance.