A total of thirty-five Indian fishermen have been arrested along with 04 Indian dhows while poaching in Sri Lankan waters off Mannar.
The interception was made during a special operation conducted off the Kudiramalei Point in the northwestern seas, south of Mannar on August 08, which was carried out by navy personnel together with the Sri Lanka Coast Guard, the navy said.
The SLN Northwestern Naval Command had spotted a cluster of Indian fishing boats engaging in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters.
In response, a Coast Guard ship attached to the Western Naval Command had been dispatched to send away those Indian fishing boats poaching off the Kudiramalei Point in the northwestern seas, south of Mannar.
The four dhows together with thirty-five Indian fishermen were brought to SLNS Vijaya and they will be handed over to the Kalpitiya Fisheries Inspector for onward legal proceedings, the navy said.
With this apprehension, the Navy said it has so far seized a total of 44 Indian fishing boats and apprehended 322 Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters in 2024, and subsequently handed them over to authorities for legal proceedings.
