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Indo-Lanka fisheries talks on Tuesday: Lanka to reiterate tough stance against bottom trawling
View(s):By S. Rubatheesan
The Sri Lankan government is to reiterate its position that it will take tough measures against illegal bottom trawling by Indian fishermen in northern waters at the sixth Indo-Lanka Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on Tuesday in Colombo, a top official said.
“We cannot allow our marine resources to be exploited three days in a week by 400-500 Indian bottom trawlers in the north anymore,” Fisheries Ministry Secretary M.P.N.M. Wickramasinghe told the Sunday Times.
The secretary who will be taking part in the meeting said even the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission had pointed out the long-term impact of bottom trawling practice on marine resources and the rich diversity of marine equilibrium in the deep sea.
He said the ministry had taken stern measures to prosecute arrested Indian fishermen and seize their vessels under the new laws, which imposed hefty fines and jail terms for arrested fishermen.
The Indian delegation will consist of senior officials from the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying and from the Tamil Nadu State government.
Since 2016, five rounds of JWC have been held. The last meeting was hosted by Sri Lanka virtually on March 22, 2022.
Meanwhile, 16 Indian fishermen were taken into custody on Wednesday, along with two bottom trawlers, for engaging in illegal fishing off the Kachchativu Island. They were remanded until November 6 after being produced in court on Friday.
So far, the Navy and the Coast Guard have seized 61 Indian fishing boats and arrested 450 Indian fishermen for engaging in bottom trawling in Sri Lankan waters this year.
Following the arrest, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin wrote to India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, seeking stern action against what he called a rise in the arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen in recent months and sought the Indian government’s assistance to repatriate them and ensure the release of vessels.
“I request you to initiate necessary diplomatic efforts to prevail upon the Sri Lankan Government to prevent the arrest of fishermen and to ensure the expeditious release of all the 128 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and the 199 fishing boats that are still under the custody of the Sri Lankan authorities,” the Chief Minister said in his letter.
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