The temporary ban on multi-day trawlers from entering the sea due to the violation of maritime boundaries is to be relaxed soon, Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda said.
This was revealed at a discussion that took place at the Ministry of Fisheries yesterday.
The three-month ban was imposed due to multiple illegal boundary crossings that had occurred among more than 185 multi-day trawlers.
Representatives of the All Ceylon Multi-day Trawler Owners Association said that sending the trawlers to sea is costly, and the skippers and crew work for the benefit of receiving an income with the intention of providing for their families, and therefore, border crossings may occur at times.
Moreover, they stated that the Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) attached to the trawlers get disconnected due to insufficient electricity when at sea.
While requesting to lift the ban, a suggestion was made for legal action to be taken against the skipper if border crossings were to occur in the future.
Minister Devananda said that if the Ministry was to take legal action, it should be done by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, and if it is done, there’s a high probability of the trawlers being banned forever.
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