nearly 180 arrested, 27 trawlers taken into custody this year

Regardless of continuing protests in Tamil Nadu, the government is going ahead with naval operations to deter poaching by the Indian fishing fleet that is hitting the livelihood of local fishers.Navy headquarters yesterday (29) said that over the weekend SLN vessels, led by Fast Attack Craft (FACs), chased clusters of poaching trawlers fishing in northern waters. “These separate operations led to the arrest of five Indian trawlers, along with 37 fishers in our waters off Mannar, as well as near the Delft Island, Jaffna,” a senior SLN official said.

The arrests were the first since Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda recently asked for UN intervention to convince India to take tangible measures to halt their trawlers from crossing the Indo-Lanka maritime boundary.

“We remain committed to conducting routine patrols and operations within Sri Lankan waters to deter the unlawful fishing activities of foreign trawlers. This effort is driven by an understanding of the impact of such practices on the livelihoods of local fishermen and the marine resources of the country,” the official stressed.

The Indian trawlers caught poaching in our waters, along with their fishermen, that had been brought to Talaimannar pier and Kankasanthurai harbour were later handed over to the Talaimannar and Jaffna Fisheries Inspectors for legal action.So far this year, the SLN has apprehended 27 Indian trawlers along with 174 Indian fishermen

(SF)