Perhaps this is not so surprising, as the union agriculture ministry has asked the state fisheries department not to use TEDs until there is a legislation about it. In all 458 trawlers are registered with the directorate of fisheries. Project Swarajya is implementing a Global Environmental Facility- funded project on popularising TEDs. According to Behera, not a single trawler operating in the Orissa area uses TEDs, though Orissa was the first state in India to obtain TED technology from the National Marine Fisheries Services. The fisheries department gives trawlers a clean chit and blames pollution for turtle deaths.
Experts differ Surprisingly, the fisheries department gives the trawlers factor a clean chit.
Experts find this baffling. The Orissa coast is relatively free of pollution. The state pollution control board chairperson, M C Das, who has done extensive study on the Olive Ridleys, agrees with Hejmadi, and calls the fisheries department reason as 'unscientific'. There is no question of marine pollution in Orissa and even in the Paradeep port area. The level of pollution is relatively little.