Bottom trawling by Indians: Top level naval meeting on Wednesday

The ongoing illegal bottom trawling by Indian fishermen in Sri Lanka's territorial waters is to come up at a top-level meeting between the regional Naval Commanders of Sri Lanka and India next Wednesday, Naval sources said.

The meeting has been organised in the wake of a recent increase in trawling activities by Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters and smuggling activities of narcotics. The Sri Lankan delegation will be led by Northern Naval Commander Priyantha Perera while the Indian Navy delegation will be led by a Naval Commander in Chennai. The talks are to be held on board a naval vessel near the International Maritime Bourndary Line.

Bottom trawling carried out by Indian fishermen in mechanised trawlers is classified as an Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) method by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

Over the years, Northern fishermen repeatedly demanded that the authorities should take stern action against Indian trawlers engaged in trawling activities in Sri Lankan waters at the expense of their livelihood in addition to destroying their fishing equipment.

After the COVID-19 pandemic spread in Southern India, the Navy stopped arresting poaching Indian fishermen on health safety grounds but instead increased patrolling activities along the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL).

The ongoing smuggling of narcotics, especially Kerala cannabis and other drug substances from India to Sri Lanka's north and the need to strengthen security cooperation between the naval forces will also be discussed at the Naval meeting.

During a special operation carried out on Wednesday, the Navy recovered 91kg of Kerala cannabis worth about Rs 27 million. The contraband is believed to have been left by smugglers on the Walaipadu beach.

Confirming the meeting, Navy Spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said that bilateral issues would be taken up at the meeting but declined to elaborate.