The IUU fishing by South Indian fishermen has cost Sri Lanka’s fishing industry a revenue loss of as much as Rs 5,000 million a year. Indian businessmen, who are also owners of the trawlers and who earn vast sums of money from exporting seafood, compel their fishermen to cross the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).  
“Studies conducted by the Fisheries Ministry has found that South Indian fishermen catch 312,000 metric tonnes of fish annually,” (Daily Mirror, June 11, 2015, p 2).  Our Sri Lankan fishermen feel powerless to prevent or resist the movements of more than 300 big Indian trawlers coming as close as 500 meters to our coastline.
The crisis has affected the children of Sri Lankan fishermen, who find it difficult to assure them a better future. Sri Lankan governments have failed to resolve the problem. Since both India and Sri Lanka are signatories to the IMBL agreement, both countries are bound to obey the treaty. Merely arresting the Indian fishermen will not solve the issue.
In 2013, Mannar’s then Bishop Rayappu Joseph, said: “Our fishermen have done all they can to urge the government to take action against this blatant robbery of their livelihood. They have taken a defiant stand against poaching by the Indians but to no avail.” He said he had raised this matter on numerous occasions at the Bishops’ Conference. He added that the issue was getting out of control with our fishermen finding it extremely difficult to even cover the cost of fuel for their outboard motors because of the depleted catch of fish” (Daily Mirror, Oct. 12, 2013).
Robbing the marine resources of Sri Lanka
Tamil Nadu’s then Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha was outspoken on behalf of the Sri Lankan Tamils and their political rights. But concerning the economic rights of Sri Lankan Tamil fisher folk, she was silent. She spoke on behalf of only Tamil Nadu fishermen, ignoring the plight of Sri Lankan Tamil fisherfolk and their families.
Some of our active fishermen have stopped going out for fishing. Yet no Tamil politician from the Northern or Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka had showed much concern until a Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) member raised the issue in the Parliament.
Taking away without permission what belongs to Sri Lanka can be called robbery. The main culprits are the big South Indian businessmen, who earn a big income from the export of our fish. They are committing this crime by forcing the poor Indian fishermen to intrude illegally into Sri Lanka’s territorial waters and exploit our marine resources. Arresting only the Indian fishermen who are employed by the owners of the trawlers will not resolve the existing conflict.
As the Editorial of Sunday Times of October 18, 2015 pointed out, there ought to be a moratorium while talks between the governments of India and Sri Lanka are going on. Otherwise, in my opinion, the Sri Lankan government is permitting the Indian businessmen and trawler owners to profit from IUU fishing and the robbery of Sri Lanka’s marine resources.  
When will the Sri Lankan government solve the recurring problem of Indian fishing trawlers entering our territorial waters, engaging in illegal methods of fishing, destroying our marine resources and depriving our active fishermen and their families their livelihood? Does our government have another agenda? Does it find it difficult to stop the poaching of Indian trawlers because it obtains financial and technological assistance from India? I pose these questions because more often our parliamentarians have said that they would stop poaching by Indian trawlers in our territorial waters. But to date, no effective action has been taken, though both countries have also agreed to respect the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). Bilateral agreements need to be respected.
Our government must have as its primary goal the well-being of its citizens. The development of our country also means better quality of life for our people. Allowing our fishermen and their families in the North, North-Western and Eastern provinces to suffer by not defending and protecting their right to fish in our territorial waters, earn their living, contribute to the National Income and foster the flourishing of their lives, shows the failure of our parliamentarians to fulfill the promises. Let justice and integrity of life flow like an unfailing stream in their lives.
Delaying to solve the issue encourages the Indians to continue exploiting our marine resources in the Palk Strait. Therefore Sri Lanka’s government must persuade the Indian government to respect the laws pertaining to International Maritime Boundaries.
- Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI