Navy arrests 16 Indian fishermen for poaching in territorial waters

Sri Lanka Navy arrested 16 Indian fishermen and seized their three trawlers for violating the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and trespassing into Sri Lankan waters off Kalpitiya in the northwest.

Navy personnel attached to the Vijaya Navy Camp in Kalpitiya arrested the Indian fishermen early Sunday morning in Kalpitiya, Navy spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya said. The fishermen will be handed over to the Kalpitiya police for further investigations.

Indian fishermen, mainly from Tamil Nadu, illegally poaching in large scale with trawlers in Sri Lanka’s waters, have become a serious threat to the livelihoods of Sri Lankan fishermen. Indian fishermen, mainly from Tamil Nadu, illegally poaching in large scale with trawlers in Sri Lanka’s waters, have become a serious threat to the livelihoods of Sri Lankan fishermen.

Sri Lankan fishermen have urged the authorities to prevent the stealing of their livelihood by Indian fishermen. Sri Lanka Navy vessels and craft are in deployment for interception of unlawful intrusions into the country’s territorial waters.

The Navy says it assists the fishing industry and apprehends the poachers in order to prevent exploitation of the country’s fishing resources and harms inflicted on its marine life.