Navy resumes anti-poaching operations:

A sailor in protective gear checks the temperature of an arrested Indian fisher(Pic courtesy Navy)

36 Indian fishers, five trawlers held

…operations suspended in March due to corona fears

The Sri Lanka Navy has resumed operations against Indian trawlers poaching in the Sri Lankan waters to protect the country’s fishing resources. The Navy headquarters yesterday said that it and the Coast Guard had apprehended 36 poaching Indian fishers along with five fishing trawlers and accessories

Recently, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Douglas Devananda sought Indian High Commissioner Gopal Bagley’s intervention to curb poaching.

The Navy headquarters issued the following statement: “Although operations to prevent poaching by foreign fishermen in Sri Lankan waters have been restricted since March this year due to COVID-19 concerns, the Navy resumed its raids on poaching, considering the impact of this wanton act on the livelihood of local fishing community and to protect the fishing resource of the country from the surge in the arrival of foreign fishing trawlers in Sri Lankan waters.

Accordingly, Northern Naval Command, during a special operation in the sea area off the Delft Island, had intercepted three Indian fishing trawlers and held 22 Indian nationals and those vessels for poaching in island’s waters.

Elsewhere in the sea area north of Mannar and west of Kudiramalei Point, 14 more Indian nationals and two fishing trawlers were held by the North Central Naval Command and Northwestern Naval Command respectively, for poaching in Sri Lankan waters.

All these search operations were conducted adhering to the COVID-19 preventive guidelines,s and further investigations are currently underway with regard to the 36 suspects and five fishing trawlers held by the Navy.  Meanwhile, arrangements are being made to direct the apprehended Indian nationals for 14 days of quarantine.