brand logo

Indian fishermen to be licensed to fish in Lankan waters 

29 Mar 2021

 

  • Proposed as solution to illegal poaching 

  • Local Fisheries Association threatens union action

The Ministry of Fisheries is currently in discussions with the Government of India for the implementation of a programme that would permit Indian fishermen to fish in Sri Lankan waters, The Morning learnt. “There are two main problems we face in our waters. Indian fishermen illegally crossing the border, and engaging in bottom trawling. To settle these problems we have proposed that a limited number of Indian boats be given licenses to fish here per week,” Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda told The Morning yesterday (28). Devananda further said that this plan is currently being discussed with the Indian government and would likely be implemented within a few months.  However, he insisted that bottom trawlers would not be allowed to venture into Sri Lankan waters since they ruin the wealth of the country’s fisheries resources. In 2014, the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act was amended to make bottom trawling an offence with a maximum prison term of two years and a maximum fine of Rs. 50,000. Bottom trawling is widely regarded as ecologically destructive since trawlers drag heavy nets along the ocean floor, thus depleting aquatic resources. Speaking to The Morning, All Island Fisheries Association Convenor Rathna Gamage claimed that issuing licenses to Indian fishermen to fish in Sri Lankan waters is akin to handing over the country to India. “We would be engaging in strict union action if this plan goes ahead as it would negatively affect our sovereignty, our resources, and our marine environment, including the ocean bed,” said Gamage.   Gamage also alleged that approximately 30,000 boats cross illegally into Sri Lankan waters per month.   “Our leaders have no backbone. Instead of protesting and stopping their illegal activities, they have decided to assist them,” added Gamage. Last Thursday, the day after the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) voted on a resolution on Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Navy arrested 54 Indian fishermen, the largest at a given time since June 2014. It was reported that many in diplomatic circles considered the arrests retaliation, following India’s abstention from the vote. It was also reported that 40 of the 54 fishermen were initially released due to interventions by the Ministry of Fisheries. The following day, the Ministry intervened to have the remaining 15 fishermen also released.   Indian fishermen have allegedly been fishing illegally in Sri Lankan waters for decades, especially during the height of the war between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), reportedly with the blessings of the LTTE. However, the end of the civil war in 2009 made the north eastern waters accessible to Sri Lankan fishermen and set the fishermen of the two countries on a collision course. Over a decade later, the issue is yet to be resolved.


More News..