Chennai: The principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden informed the Madras high court that fishermen are being motivated to use the turtle excluder device to avoid killing turtles that often get caught in fishing nets.

V.K. Melkani, principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden, stated this in his counter affidavit filed in response to the suo motu proceedings initiated by the court against fishing practices through trawlers.

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M.M. Sundresh, before whom the counter affidavit was filed, posted to April 1 further hearing of the case.

Taking cognisance of a report published in an English daily, the bench had, on January 22 initiated suo motu proceedings. It also appointed advocate T. Mohan as amicus curiae to assist the court.

Mohan had, on February 9, filed a status report suggesting, among other things, imposing a ban on fishing with trawlers during the entire turtle migratory and nesting season from November to April.

In his counter affidavit, Melkani submitted that the TN forest department has a limitation as the area where the deaths of turtles were taking place was neither notified as a reserved forest nor as sanctuary. Hence, campaigns for saving the animal were the only recourse, he said.

He also said mechanised fishing was regulated by the fisheries department. This was a very sensitive matter and catching fish was the only livelihood option for fishermen. There was almost no incident of turtle poaching from 2012-13 onwards.

Regular protection watchers had been engaged for this purpose along the Chennai and Kancheepuram coasts during the breeding season by the wildlife warden, he added. Eggs were being collected by the forest department with the support of locals and deposited in hatcheries and the hatchings were released into the sea. A total of 41,527 eggs were collected and 34,243 hatchings released into the sea during 2013-14, he added.