Sri Lanka Arrests 23 Indian Fishermen For Poaching In Its Waters

A government release says that the Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 23 Indian fishermen and taken back two trawlers for allegedly poaching in the waters around the island nation. Sri Lanka’s Navy said in a news release on Sunday that the fishermen were caught and their two trawlers were taken away on Saturday north of Delft Island in Jaffna.

It said that the 23 fishermen and their two trawlers were taken to the Kankesanthurai Harbour and will be given to the Mailadi Fisheries Inspector to be dealt with further. It was a special action by the Sri Lanka Navy on the night of February 3, 2024, to get Indian poaching trawlers out of Sri Lankan waters. The operation took place in the northern waters of Sri Lanka, off the Delft Island in Jaffna. Two Indian trawlers were seized, and 23 Indian people were caught poaching, the statement said.

When foreign fishing trawlers break the law while fishing in Sri Lankan waters, the Navy does regular patrols and operations to stop them, keeping in mind how these actions affect the jobs of local fishers. As part of these efforts, the Northern Naval Command sent out Fast Attack Craft from the Navy and the Sri Lanka Coast Guard to get rid of a group of Indian hunting trawlers that were caught fishing illegally in Sri Lankan waters on Saturday.

The fishermen problem is a point of contention between India and Sri Lanka. In several cases, the Lankan Navy is said to have fired at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and taken their boats, accusing them of entering Sri Lankan territorial waters without permission.

Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka are separated by the Palk Strait, a small body of water. Fishermen from both countries love to fish in this area. There have been times when Sri Lankan officials arrested Indian fishermen for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line and fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

As many as 36 Indian sailors were caught by Sri Lanka in January. It was said that 240 Indian fishermen and 35 trawlers were poaching in Sri Lankan waters in 2023, so the island nation’s Navy caught them.