Sri Lanka is considering imposing huge fines on foreign vessels trespassing into its territorial waters. 

Owners of Indian trawlers, often accused of fishing illegally in Sri Lankan waters, may have to pay penalties up to Rs. 70  million, if the revised legislation to regulate foreign fishing boats is passed by the Sri Lankan parliament.

The development comes a month after India and Sri Lanka held high-level talks in New Delhi with the objective of working out a lasting solution to the long-standing dispute over fishing rights. The Palk Bay fisheries conflict has severely impacted the livelihood of fisher folk in northern Sri Lanka, who are trying to piece their lives together after a brutal war.

Indian trawlers allegedly cross the International Maritime Boundary and fish illegally in Sri Lankan waters. To curb this practice, the Sri Lankan government, in 2014, decided to retain trespassing trawlers in its custody. According to a spokesman of the Sri Lankan Navy, as many as 134 Indian trawlers remain in Sri Lankan custody since.

However, the problem persists as the Indian fishermen, originating from Tamil Nadu, reportedly still engage in illegal fishing in the Sri Lankan side of the Palk Bay. To tighten regulations, Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Ministry has been working on amendments to a 1979 legislation, introducing huge fines for trespassing foreign vessels. 

A draft has been readied and submitted to the Auditor General’s Department. The amendment is likely to be taken up in parliament in mid-January, according to a senior official. “As per the draft, the fines range between [LKR] 1.5 million and [LKR]150 million, depending on the size of the vessel,” the official told The Hindu on Thursday.

The initiative is in addition to a pending Bill on banning trawlers in Sri Lanka and other diplomatic efforts by both countries such as the high-level bilateral talks and meeting between fisher leaders of both countries. Acknowledging the urgency of the situation – bottom-trawling is a destructive fishing method that threatens the marine ecosystem of the Palk Bay – at the November 5 meeting, the two countries agreed to set up a joint working group that would meet regularly and explore joint patrolling options and ways to phase out bottom-trawling.

However, Indian fishermen appear to continue fishing in Sri Lankan waters. After the November 5 meeting, the Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 11 Indian fishermen and detained two trawlers. Meanwhile, Indian fishermen have accused Sri Lankan Navy personnel of having attacked Indian fishermen at sea, allegations that the Sri Lanka Navy has denied.

Source: The Hindu

-Agencies