Poaching by Tamil Nadu fishermen: Biggest stumbling block in Indo-Lanka ties

Earlier this month, poaching by Tamil Nadu fishermen in the seawaters of Sri Lanka came into prominence when Minister of Transportation Bimal Rathnayake urged New Delhi and Tamil Nadu to take action to prevent Indian fishermen from poaching in Sri Lankan waters while pointing out that such unauthorised fishing by Indian trawlers was having a devastating impact on the livelihoods of northern fishermen in the island.

With the war against the LTTE coming to an end in 2009, poaching by Indian fishermen in the Lankan seawaters has become the main flashpoint of the bilateral ties of the two South Asian States. During the LTTE insurgency, the relationship between the two neighbours experienced periodic tremors with New Delhi showing sympathy to Tamil rebels at certain times of the conflict due to political pressures exerted by Tamil Nadu, much to the dismay of Governments in Colombo. Even after the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, the southern state in India has become a huge obstacle towards maintaining an affable and cordial understanding between the two countries. The poaching issue has been instrumental in islanders developing a hostile attitude towards their giant neighbour across the Palk Straits.

According to the Sri Lanka Navy, 19 Indian fishing boats along with 145 fishermen were taken into custody for poaching in Sri Lankan waters from 1 January to 6 March this year. When fishermen in Tamil Nadu are arrested by the Navy, regional politicians in the southern state put pressure on New Delhi to prevail upon Colombo to back down. There have also been accusations that politicians/political parties in Tamil Nadu encourage fishermen to encroach into the island’s northern seas with the intention of creating rifts between the two states.

On the other hand, the bottom trawling method of fishing used by Tami Nadu fishermen is extremely harmful to marine habitats on the ocean floor, creating serious conservation issues. This method of fishing disrupts the seabed, impacts ocean biodiversity, and leads to overfishing of non-target species, according to experts. Although countries like Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Madagascar have banned bottom trawling completely for environmental reasons, the damaging practice is commonplace among Indian fisher folks. Recently, former Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran in a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had observed that ending the destructive method of fishing would safeguard the livelihoods of ordinary fishermen in Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Tamil Nadu authorities have taken steps to increase compensation given to boat owners whose trawlers are seized by the Sri Lankan authorities. As part of new measures, the compensation had been increased from INR 600,000 to 800,000 while the state government had also increased the daily rations given to the families of arrested fishermen from INR 350 to 500. Such actions by the Tamil Nadu government would further escalate the tensions between the northern fishermen and their counterparts in Tamil Nadu apart from creating further barriers in terms of finding a resolution to the thorny issue which affects the friendship of the two countries. 

Given the critical support extended by India towards its neighbour during the island’s devastating economic crisis in 2022, the ability of the Sri Lankan Government to adopt a tough bargaining stance has been constrained. The issue has also given China to gain a foothold among residents in the northern parts of Sri Lanka, which India has long considered to be within its influence. Beijing has been assisting sea cucumber farming for Jaffna fishermen, whose livelihoods have been disrupted by bottom trawling and encroachment of Indian fishermen.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make an official visit to Sri Lanka next month and the contentious matter would be a main point of deliberation between the two parties. A mutually agreeable solution to the fishing-related issue would dramatically transform the bilateral relations for the better.