Sri Lanka Navy arrests 54 Indian fishermen, seize 5 trawlers

The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested a minimum of 54 Indian fishermen and seized 5 trawlers for allegedly poaching within the nation’s territorial waters, an official assertion stated on Thursday.
The Navy arrested the fishermen on Wednesday off the coast of northern and northeastern areas.
“Having considered the impact of foreign fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters on the local fishing community and the sustainability of fishery resources of Sri Lanka, the Navy is conducting regular patrols to curb illegal fishing activities in Sri Lankan waters,” the Navy stated within the assertion.
The Navy nabbed a big Indian fishing vessel with 14 personnel on board, about 3 nautical miles off the coast of Kovilan in Jaffna.
Two extra Indian fishing vessels with 20 personnel for partaking in trawling have been arrested about 7 nautical miles off Pesalai, Mannar and 5 nautical miles off the Iranativu Island, the assertion stated.

Two extra Indian fishing vessels with 20 personnel have been arrested about 7.5 and eight.5 nautical miles off Mullaitivu. The two vessels had trespassed into Sri Lankan waters about 62 nautical miles, crossing the International Boundary Line (IMBL) when the apprehension was made, the Navy stated in a press release.
The Navy stated it had beforehand knowledgeable the Indian authorities when related incidents of trawling by Indian fishermen have been reported.
“The illegal entry of foreign fishermen into Sri Lankan waters and the use of prohibited fishing methods like bottom trawling to catch even very small fish has seriously threatened the marine ecosystem and endanger the livelihood of fishermen in the northern part of the island.”
In January, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 9 Indian fishermen and seized one mechanised boat for allegedly fishing in that nation’s waters.