…operations suspended in March due to corona fears
The Sri Lanka Navy has resumed operations against Indian trawlers poaching in the Sri Lankan waters to protect the country’s fishing resources. The Navy headquarters yesterday said that it and the Coast Guard had apprehended 36 poaching Indian fishers along with five fishing trawlers and accessories
Recently, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Douglas Devananda sought Indian High Commissioner Gopal Bagley’s intervention to curb poaching.
The Navy headquarters issued the following statement: “Although operations to prevent poaching by foreign fishermen in Sri Lankan waters have been restricted since March this year due to COVID-19 concerns, the Navy resumed its raids on poaching, considering the impact of this wanton act on the livelihood of local fishing community and to protect the fishing resource of the country from the surge in the arrival of foreign fishing trawlers in Sri Lankan waters.