Orissa’s Marine Resources
Orissa is known for its diverse marine wealth – for decades, the Irrawady dolphin, horseshoe crab,
olive ridley sea turtle, thick mangrove swamps, and rich commercial fish stocks have attracted people
to the Orissa coastline; numerous fishing communities dot the coastline, each profiting daily from
a wide range of valuable marine resources.
Recent years have seen endangered marine species, including the olive ridley sea turtle, commercial
fish stocks, and thus Orissa’s economically significant commercial fisheries face serious challenges.
Daily, the coast is threatened by destructive fishing practices, water pollution by toxic effluents,
illegal aquaculture, and the negative fallouts of coastal infrastructure like offshore oil and gas
exploration and port development. Now more than ever, communities and wildlife alike need to meet
the challenges that threaten to cause irreversible damage to Orissa’s fragile marine environment.
