Another Indian trawler with 15 fishers seized by Navy while poaching in Lankan waters

The Sri Lanka Navy arrested 15 Indian fishermen who were poaching in the country’s territorial waters in the early hours of yesterday (15), the Navy said in a statement.

The Navy also apprehended the trawler used by the Indian poachers, the statement said.The arrests were made during a special operation to chase away Indian poaching trawlers near Kovilan Lighthouse in Karainagar, Jaffna.

The arrested trawler (01) and the 15 Indian fishermen were brought to Kankesanthurai Harbour, and they will be handed over to the Mailadi Fisheries Inspector for onward legal proceedings.

With this arrest, the Navy has apprehended a total of 16 Indian trawlers and 125 of their fishermen caught poaching in Sri Lankan waters so far this year.

The Navy said that they conduct regular patrols in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practices by foreign trawlers, taking into account the consequences of these practices on the livelihood of local fishermen and the marine resources in the country, as often intruding Indians resort to bottom trawling that also destroys fishery resources.The Sri Lankan Navy arrested 343 people engaged in illegal activities and confiscated thousands of kilos of contraband in 2023.