ARASMIN, the indigenous non-governmental organization has celebrated the World Oceans Day on June 8 in India’s coastal state of Orissa. In line with the Save Our Sea’s 3rd Marine Conservation and Blue Economy Symposium, the celebration was themed under ‘investing in marine conservation: making sense of blue economy’.
A number of political leaders, government officials, media personalities, and community leaders have participated in the discussion program held at a hotel in coastal Puri district. Mr. A. C. Rautray, Director, ARASMIN presided over the event.
Mr. Bikash Ranjan Rautray, Secretary, ARASMIN delivered the Welcome address and introduced the guests before the House. The session continued up to 2 pm with great pleasure and participation of all-important Invitees. The house mostly discussed the challenges Orissa is facing to conserve the coastal ocean in the Bay of Bengal, particularly about the ways to deliver benefits of ocean conservation to the coastal communities.
The speakers noted that overfishing by industrial trawlers must end in the Orissa’s coastal waters in the Bay of Bengal for better protection of nesting sea turtles, migratory birds, other marine mega-fauna and sustaining the subsistence fisheries of the local communities.
ARASMIN is participating in the learning-sharing process of a self-funded model of community-led in-situ conservation of sea turtles, the organizers noted. The organization has helped communities to form groups in the coastal districts of Ganjam and Puri where the world’s largest known rookery of Olive Ridley sea turtle lies.
