Colombo: At least 328 Indian fishermen have been arrested and 41 trawlers seized so far this year for allegedly fishing in Sri Lankan waters, a minister said here Thursday.
Deputy Minister of fisheries Rathna Gamage said Sri Lanka has intensified the operations to stop “illegal fishing” by Indian trawlers in the international maritime border.
Pointing out that there has been an increase in arrests of Indian fishermen for poaching this year, Gamage told reporters that so far 328 Indian fishermen have been arrested and their 41 trawlers have been seized by the Sri Lankan Navy.
Such operations are jointly carried out by the Fisheries Ministry, the Navy, and the Police.
Destructive fishing methods deployed by foreign fishermen who poach in the Lankan waters pose a threat to local fishermen and also cause marine environmental hazards, the minister said.
In the latest such arrest, November 10, Sri Lankan Navy said it arrested 14 Indian fishermen and seized their fishing boat a day earlier for allegedly fishing in the island nation’s waters off the Analativu Island, Jaffna.
The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.
The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with the Sri Lankan Navy personnel sometimes even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats for illegally entering Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.
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