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Tough steps to get EU fishing ban lifted
With the aim of getting the European Union ban on fish exports lifted by the end of this year, the Government is to increase penalties for illegal fishing methods used by local fishermen, Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday.
He said penalties would include confiscation of vessels, if they were found to be engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IIU) fishing practices — factors which led to the EU ban on fish exports from January 15 this year.
Fishermen violating regulations would be fined on two occasions and thereafter the vessels would be confiscated at the third offence. The existing fines for illegal fishing would also be increased, the minister said. Currently a vessel between 10 to 15 metres is fined Rs 150,000 while vessels that are more than 75 metres in length are fined Rs. 1.5 million.
Mr. Amaraweera said a committee was studying the extent of the increase in fines and these would be imposed from September.
The minister told Parliament this week that due to the EU ban, Sri Lanka had lost a market of around US dollars 100 million.
In keeping with another EU requirement, the Fisheries Ministry has decided to instal vessel monitoring systems on some 1,500 boats. The units, each of them costing Rs. 375,000 have already been fitted to at least 150 vessels.
Mr. Amaraweera said that talks were continuing with EU regarding the early lifting of the ban. The EU had last year urged Sri Lanka to take measures to refrain from Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated (IUU) fishing, but local authorities failed to enforce this before the deadline and it led to the EU ban from January.
Fisheries Ministry Secretary Nihal Hettiarachchi said another EU delegation was due here this month to review the progress made regarding the EU recommendations. He said the EU team would check on the vessels monitoring systems and the centre from which this was being done. The assistance of the Navy and the coastguard was also being obtained to enforce these regulations.