Heavy fine on illegal fishing is an European Union requirement: Sri Lanka Fisheries Ministry

By P. K. Balachandran  

Imposition of a heavy fine on those who indulge in illegal fishing is a European Union (EU) requirement, and therefore, there is no way Sri Lanka can exempt Tamil Nadu fishermen from being fined heavily for poaching in Sri Lankan waters and using banned methods of fishing, Ministry of Fisheries Secretary, W. M. M. R. Adhikari, told Express on Wednesday.

The high-ranking official said that a new tough law to regulate Sri Lankan and foreign fishing is in Parliament and that it will be debated soon.

Adikari said that the measure has a ring of urgency about it because the European Union had imposed a ban on Sri Lankan fishermen for indulging in illegal fishing - a ban which was lifted recently after Sri Lanka promised to take steps to curb such fishing.

The new law would impose heavy fines on native and foreign fishermen who indulge in illegal fishing, she said.     

Minister of Fisheries Mahinda Amaraweera, had stated that Sri Lanka would impose a fine of Rs. 150 million on Indian fishermen who fish in Sri Lankan waters and who also use trawlers which destroy marine resources.

Asked if a fine as high as Rs. 150 million is being seriously considered, Adhikari said that the fine amount is being discussed but it will be heavy enough to be a deterrent.

Meanwhile, other official sources said that the next meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries (JWGF) will be held on 30 to 31 December, either in Colombo or New Delhi. A visit to Colombo by the Indian Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Radha Mohan Singh on 2 January or thereabouts is also on the cards.

Significantly, the JEGF does not have representatives of the Tamil Nadu Government. It has representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the navies and coast guards of the two countries. At the last JWGF meeting, India had, for the first time in the history of the fishing dispute, said that it will consider the Sri Lankan proposal for joint patrolling of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

If joint patrolling is resorted to, the Indian Coast Guard and Navy will be sharing with Sri Lanka the onerous and sensitive responsibility of preventing poaching in the sea between the two countries.

According to the Fisheries Ministry, Sri Lanka is losing Rs. 9 billion a year, as a result of poaching by Tamil Nadu fishermen. (The New Indian Express)

Indian fishermen begin indefinite strike against detention of colleagues by Sri Lanka

Reuters: Fishermen in India’s southern Rameswaram city announced an indefinite strike on Thursday (22 December) demanding the release of five colleagues detained by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The fishermen were detained and their boat seized by Sri Lankan Navy on Wednesday (21 December).

India shares an expansive oceanic border with Sri Lanka without any perceptible demarcation and fishermen on both sides ignore rules while netting their catch.

President of Fishermen Association M. Patrick, alleged the fishermen had not crossed over into Sri Lankan waters.

“Five fishermen along with their boat have been illegally detained by Sri Lankan Navy after entering into Indian waters. This is highly condemnable. They apprehended fishermen from the Indian side and took them to their territory which is an injustice,” said Patrick.

Earlier on Wednesday, a group of 12 Indian fishermen were arrested and two boats seized by Sri Lanka for violating International Maritime Boundary Line and poaching in its waters. Sri Lanka had arrested another seven Indian fishermen on Tuesday (20 December). Fishermen from both countries frequently stray into each other’s territory and end up spending years in jails.

Sri Lanka has long fumed over poaching and illegal fishing by Indian fishermen that it says deplete the catches of its own fishermen. An 11-member delegation of Sri Lankan fishermen arrived in New Delhi in November for talks with their Indian counterparts on resolving all issues related to fishing.

The Governments of India and Sri Lanka subsequently agreed to set up a hotline between the coast guards and a Joint Working Group (JWG) on fisheries to meet every three months in a bid to address the long-pending issue.