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Illegal Indian fishing in Lankan waters continues
Special operations carried out by the Sri Lanka Navy and Coast Guard in several sea areas off the island on 15 December 2020 led to the apprehension of 36 Indian nationals along with five fishing trawlers and fishing accessories, for poaching in Sri Lankan waters[/caption]
Bilateral discussion on fisheries
In correspondence with the Indian High Commission in Colombo’s Head of Press, Information, and Culture Eldos Mathew Punnoose, The Sunday Morning was informed that the fourth meeting of the Sri Lanka-India Joint Working Group on Fisheries was held virtually on Wednesday (30 December).
The Sri Lankan delegation was led by Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries R.M.I. Rathnayake, and consisted of senior officials of the Ministry of Fisheries, Foreign Ministry, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Attorney General’s Department, Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi, and the Sri Lanka Navy and Coast Guard.
The Indian delegation was led by the Indian Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Aquatic Resources’ Secretary to the Department of Fisheries Dr. Rajeev Ranjan, who was accompanied by representatives from his Ministry, the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, State Government of Tamil Nadu, State Government of Puducherry, and the Indian Navy and Coast Guard.
The discussions paid close attention to several bilateral issues pertaining to fisheries, and stemmed from the recent “apprehension” of 40 fishermen and six boats by Sri Lanka Navy, and the Indian delegation’s plea to ensure their early release. The need for releasing all fishing boats in Sri Lankan custody, in line with the commitment given by the Sri Lankan President during his visit to India in November 2019, was covered. Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Douglas Devananda, however, emphasised the importance of Indian efforts to promptly resolve the problem of illegal fishing in Lankan waters by Indian fishermen.
A continuous discussion
Multiple attempts to contact the Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Douglas Devananda proved futile, due to his participation in the ongoing discussions.
Speaking with the frontline representative of the Sri Lankan delegation at the meeting, Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries R.M.I. Rathnayake, we were informed that a ministerial-level meeting would soon be scheduled at the discretion of Minister Douglas Devananda and the authorities at the Indian Ministry of Fisheries. This meeting, according to Rathnayaka, would largely consist of policy-based matters that are crucial for the end product of the decision-making process.
How bad is the situation?
According to Ranathunga, it is difficult to calculate the severity of the trespassing occurring on a daily basis. The usual procedure when trespassers are detected by the Navy is that they are reported. However, the Navy has a difficult time cracking down on all cases. It is roughly estimated that 11,106 official detections have been reported as of 16 December 2020.
Within a span of three days, an average of 1,000 boats are calculated to have trespassed. When this happens, explained Ranathunga, local fishermen are unable to go into their own waters and do the needful, due to the destructive practices of the Indian trespassers, who come in large trawlers and engage in illegal bottom-trawling practices.
Bottom-trawling
Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Director General S.J. Kahawatta said that although the main issue is the illegal poaching carried out by the Indian fishermen which is a threat to the sovereignty of our State, the methodologies they use to do so create the immediate cause for concern, with the frontline practice being “bottom-trawling”.
Bottom-trawling is an industrial fishing method where a large net with heavy weights is dragged across the seafloor. It scoops up everything it encounters, from the targeted fish to incidentally-caught young fish who have not fully matured, to centuries-old corals, aquatic plants, and other species such as sea cucumbers and anemone, and especially, shrimp breeding centres. Their target species is shrimp, as sea shrimp is a high-value type, and our Lankan seas are ample breeding grounds for shrimp.
There is much research done on the ill effects of bottom-trawling, with distinct clarifications on the before- and after-effects of the highly destructive practice that demolishes the entire seabed. The bottom-trawling practice is a threat to the sustainable fisheries industry.
“To our knowledge, the seabed in Indian waters is highly damaged due to this practice, which brings illegal poachers to Sri Lankan waters due to the lack of resources they are facing. Bottom-trawling is illegal in Sri Lanka, and our seabed is largely intact. This is why we urge these fishermen not to engage in these practices, as we do not want the same unfortunate outcome for our own rich seabed,” Kahawatta expressed.
The anxieties of the North
Most of the repercussions from these trespassers' actions are experienced by the unfortunate fishermen population of the North and East, from the Mannar area towards Point Pedro.
Kahawatta explained that most of the boats in the North are small, and that the trespassing Indian poachers knock on the boats of Sri Lankan fishermen intentionally to inflict damage. They also allegedly engage in actively cutting the fishing nets of our fishermen.
In India, 3,000-4,000 boats – possibly as high as 6,000 – are those with steel hulls. Sri Lankan fishermen largely occupy fibreglass boats, and only a few have steel hulls. Our fishermen are therefore anxious – if they are knocked by the masses of trespassing Indian fishermen, the boats are severely damaged.
Navigating towards a solution
Thus far, the discussions carried out have sought to put an end to illegal poaching through the joint patrolling of both the Sri Lankan and Indian Navy. According to Ranathunga, a hotline between the Sri Lankan Coast Guard and its Indian counterpart has been initiated, with the aim of informing of any detected incidents and calling for further assistance in emergency situations.
Except for this issue, there is a very cordial relationship between the navies and fisheries organisations of both nations, stressed Ranathunga.
The issue at hand is one that both countries are struggling to put an end to. India has attempted to adopt other methodologies to crack down on this issue, such as encouraging fishermen in the South to engage in deep sea fishing with regard to fishermen in the Palk Bay area in particular; the promotion of alternative livelihoods through seaweed cultivation, mariculture, and varieties of aquaculture activities, as initiatives under the new Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana; and other schemes by the Government of India and state governments of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, in hopes of diversifying and reducing fishing pressure in the Palk Bay.
Fisheries Department Director General Kahawatta suggested that this could be a tedious and time-consuming measure due to the immensity of the fishing populations. He added that the masses of Indian fishing boats are only capable of bottom-trawling methods.
“They should be converted by removing the trawling nets, and perhaps, adopting long-line technologies, as we have done.”
“We can’t arrest the masses of boats in volumes and hold them accountable. India has too many boats for our authorities to handle. We can only make allowances and compromises for them,” concluded Kahawatta, stressing the need for a more proactive role from the Indian authorities to resolve the issue.
Alagu’s tale
Alagu, a small-scale fisherman from Jaffna, shared this with The Sunday Morning: “We can’t seem to catch enough fish often; only very rarely do we get lucky enough to catch enough to sell. In general, we face bad weather conditions, cyclones very often. During such times, we have to get credit from others. It is a game with the tides and our luck. Sometimes we get injured while fishing because of different plant species. Most of the time, we can't sell fish at a fixed price. Our income from fishing is not enough to run our families. We just have to keep getting credit from outside.”
He continued that if the trespassing Indian fishermen were fishing just as normal fishermen do, that would not be a problem. “However, they are using unsustainable and destructive methodologies, using high-volume explosives while fishing. It’s a risky thing for us, and bad for the ocean too.”
Alagu feels that the Navy officers are handling the situation well. “They are doing their level best. These trespassing Indian fishermen are found more often than not. Many are arrested after they are found. I think that the Government too is doing their best to handle it.”
“Not only in this situation, but they are helpful if we face difficulties at sea. There are many naval points close to sea, and if anything happens, officers will be there to assist soon. Army and Navy officers are being very helpful to us in risky times.”
Alagu doesn’t feel like the situation has affected him immensely as of now, “but I know that if this keeps going, it’s not healthy for our fishing future”, he added. “In the future, fishing will be very complicated because of the doings of these trespassers. It's just a starting stage to a bleak future in which we could expect many risks.”